Quadrant local anesthesia was sequentially administered to the maxillary and mandibular teeth and periodontium in three healthy individuals. After anesthesia the duration of the silent period was shortened. Total anesthesia of all quadrants abolished the silent period in every individual, demonstrating that sensory impulses from periodontal receptors provide a major source of inhibition, and disfacilitation or active inhibition from intact muscle receptors is insufficient to produce a silent period.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bessette, R. ; Bishop, B., and Mohl, N.: Duration of Masseteric Silent Period in Patients with TMJ Syndrome , J Appl Physiol30: 864-869, 1971.
2.
Sherrington, C.S.: Reflexes Elicitable in the Cat from Pinna, Vibrissae, and Jaws, J Physiol (London) 51 :404-431, 1917.
3.
Corbin, K.B., and Harrison, F.: Function of Mesencephalic Root of Fifth Cranial Nerve, J Neurophysiol3: 423-435, 1940.
4.
Kawamura, Y.: Reciprocal Relationship in the Brain Stem among Afferent Impulses from Each Jaw Muscle in the Cat, Japan J Physiol10: 585-593, 1960.
5.
Beaudreau, D.E.; Daugherty, W.F.; and Masland, W.S.: Two Types of Motor Pauses in Masticatory Muscles, Am J Physiol216: 16-21, 1969.
6.
Yemm, R.: The Response of the Masseter and Temporal Muscles Following Electrical Stimulation of Oral Mucous Membrane in Man, Arch Oral Biol17: 23-33, 1972.
7.
Jerge, C.R.: Organization and Function of the Trigeminal Mesencephalic Nucleus , J Neurophysiol26: 379-392, 1963.
8.
Kizior, J.E. ; Cuozzo, J.W.; and Bowman, D.C.: Functional and Histological Assessment of the Sensory Innervation of the Periodontal Ligament of the Cat, J Dent Res47: 59-64, 1968.
9.
Schaerer, P. ; Stallard, R.E.; and Zander, H.A.: Occlusal Interferences and Mastication : An Electromyographic Study, J Prosthet Dent17: 438-449, 1967.
10.
Houk, J., and Henneman, H.: Responses of Golgi Tendon Organs to Active Contraction of the Soleus Muscle of the Cat, J Neurophysiol30: 466-481, 1967.
11.
Granit, R.: Receptors and Sensory Perception, New Haven, Conn : Yale University Press, 1955, pp 202.
12.
Anderson, D. ; Hannam, A.; and Matthews, B.: Sensory Mechanisms in Mammalian Teeth and their Supporting Structures, Physiol Rev50: 171-195, 1970.
13.
Kawamura, Y. : Brain Stem Representation of Jaw Muscle Activities of the Dog, Jap J Physiol8: 293-303, 1958.
14.
Hannam, A.; Matthews, B.; and Yemm, R.: The Response of the Masseter Muscle Following Tooth Movement in Man , J Physiol (London) 203: 25-26, 1969.
15.
Brenman, H.S. ; Black, M.A.; and Coslet, J.G.: Interrelationship between the Electromyographic Silent Period and Dental Occlusion, J Dent Res47: 502, 1968 (abstract) .
