Ana Paula Reis Durão; Magda Daniela Amaral Ribeiro; Marcelo Miranda & Aline Rose Cantarelli Morosolli

Summary

The objective this study was to determine mean values of masseter muscle thickness in male and female, at rest and contraction, in healthy individuals.At first, 102 questionnaires were distributed between students. Thirty patients were selected, 15 male and 15 female, according to the inclusion criteria, excluding all individuals with symptoms of temporo-mandibular dysfunction or syndromes with craniofacial disorders. Masseter muscle thickness was determined bilaterally, at rest and contraction. As a reference point for the measurement of thickness (axial plane), the posterior prolongation of the labial commissure was used. Normality values of the masseter muscle in females were 11.75 ± 1,14 mm in contraction and 10.19 ± 1.04 mm in relaxation; and in the male were 13.95 ± 1.62 mm in contraction and 11.64 mm ± 1.68 mm in relaxation.The results obtained are in agreement with those described in the literature. Demonstrating the accuracy and reproductibility of the ultrasound if a protocol is applied, mainly aimed at controlling the pressure applied by the transducer.

KEY WORDS: masseter muscle, ultrasound, ecography, thickness, craniofacial morphology.

How to cite this article

DURÃO, A. P. R.; RIBEIRO, M. D. A.; MIRANDA, M. & MOROSOLLI, A. R. C. Evaluation of masseter muscle dimensions through ultrasonography. Int. J. Odontostomat., 15(4):980-988, 2021.