Teruo Maetani

Integrated electromyographic activity and biting force during rapid isometric contraction of fatigued masseter muscle in man.

Abstract The slopes of the curves relating integrated electromyographic activities to biting forces during rapid isometric contractions ( voltage tension curve) were investigated before and after fatiguing contraction of the masseter muscle. The slope of the curves depended on the speed of isometric contraction in non-fatigued masseter muscle. When the muscle was fatigued, the speed became slower and the slope became steeper. This increased slope was not solely due to a decrease in the speed of isometric contraction, and it was shown that more electrical activity was associated with exertion of a tension in the fatigued state, as was evident from the voltage factor calculated in this experiment. This phenomenon could be due to fatigue in the intracellular mechanism of the muscle fibre contraction.

Plaque accumulation on Teflon-coated metal.

This study demonstrated that plaque accumulation was reduced and plaque removal facilitated by the TFE coating. These findings suggest that the TFE coating has a practical application for pontics and the proximal and cervical surfaces of crowns. These inaccessible surfaces are not easily cleaned by brushing.