Stiffness of the Masseter Muscle in Children—Establishing the Reference Values in the Pediatric Population Using Shear-Wave Elastography

Cyprian Olchowy, Anna Olchowy, Aleksander Pawluś, Mieszko Więckiewicz and Luca Maria Sconfienza
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Cyprian Olchowy: Department of Oral Surgery, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-425 Wroclaw, Poland
Anna Olchowy: Department of Experimental Dentistry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-425 Wroclaw, Poland
Aleksander Pawluś: Department of General Radiology, Provincial Specialist Hospital in Legnica, 59-220 Legnica, Poland
Mieszko Więckiewicz: Department of Experimental Dentistry, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-425 Wroclaw, Poland
Luca Maria Sconfienza: Unità Operativa di Radiologia Diagnostica e Interventistica, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, 20161 Milano, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-9

Abstract: In children, the quality and muscle function are altered in many pathologic conditions, including temporomandibular disorders. Although several methods have been used to evaluate muscle tonus, none became a golden standard. Moreover, the masseter muscle characteristics in children have not been investigated to date. This study aimed to measure the stiffness of the masseter muscle using shear-wave elastography in healthy children. We enrolled 30 healthy children (mean age 10.87 ± 3.38 years). The stiffness of masseter muscles was measured with shear wave elastography. Stiffness for the total sample was 6.37 ± 0.77 kPa. A comparison of the measurements did not show significant differences between the right and the left masseter muscles (left—6.47 ± 0.78 kPa; right—6.24 ± 0.76 kPa; p = 0.3546). A significant difference was seen between boys and girls (boys—5.94 ± 0.50 kPa; girls—6.63 ± 0.80; p = 0.0006). Shear-wave elastography is a promising diagnostic tool. It may help to detect changes in the stiffness of the masseter muscle and draw attention to pathological processes within the jaw muscles. Directions for further research shall include determining stiffness values in pathological conditions and the impact of biological and functional factors on the stiffness of the masseter muscle.

Keywords: shear-wave elastography; masseter; temporomandibular disorders; elasticity; pediatric population (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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