Background: electromyography and diadochokinesia. Aim: to analyze the oral movement rate in children with persistent developmental stuttering and in normally fluent children during the repetition of articulatory segments (diadochokinesia -DDK). Method: participants of the study were 50 children, with no distinction of gender and race, enrolled in public schools (primary and junior) of São Paulo city and Great São Paulo, whose families agreed, through informed consent, with the research procedures. The research group (GI) consisted of 19 children diagnosed as stutterers. The control group (GII) consisted of 31 fluent children. Results: the results of the study indicate that there were great similarities in performance in the DDK tasks for both groups. Standard deviation values were high for both groups. Conclusion: statistically significant differences were observed for the ability of sequential movement, i.e. when looking at ANOVA results the group of fluent children presented a better ability to move their articulators rapidly when producing sequential segments (pa/ta/ka).

RESUMOIntrodução: Indivíduos com paralisia facial (PF) periférica têm condições que induzem à mastigação unilateral, realizada pelo lado não afetado, principalmente pela dificuldade de ação do músculo bucinador. Objetivo: Caracterizar o controle motor e a morfologia do músculo masseter em indivíduos com PF periférica unilateral, através da avaliação eletromiográfica e ultrassonográfica. Método: 16 participantes, de ambos os gêneros, com idade superior a 18 anos. O grupo pesquisa (GP) foi constituído de oito indivíduos com PF periférica unilateral idiopática a mais de seis meses; e o grupo controle (GC) por oito indivíduos normais. Todos os sujeitos foram submetidos à avaliação do músculo masseter através da Eletromiografia de Superfície (EMGs) e da Ultrassonografia (USG), nas seguintes tarefas: repouso, apertamento dentário com rolete de algodão entre os dentes (AL) e apertamento dentário com máxima intercuspidação dentária (MIC). Resultados: Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante nas comparações intra e inter grupos quanto à assimetria entre as hemifaces, tanto para a EMGs quanto para a USG. Também não foram encontradas diferenças significantes entre a ativação dos músculos mastigatórios (masseter e temporal) na EMGs. Conclusão: O controle motor e a morfologia dos músculos masseteres em indivíduos com PF periférica unilateral apresentam-se de forma semelhante aos indivíduos normais. Apesar da literatura sugerir que a demanda das adaptações funcionais realizadas por indivíduos com PF poderiam exceder a tolerância estrutural e funcional das articulações temporomandibulares, os resultados encontrados indicam que o tempo da PF dos pacientes estudados não foi suficiente para gerar diferenças anatômicas e fisiológicas nos músculos mastigatórios. Palavras-chave: paralisia facial, eletromiografia, ultrassonografia, músculo masséter, avaliação. SUMMARY Introduction: Individuals with peripheral Facial Paralysis (FP)show conditions that lead to unilateral mastication, performed by the non-affected side, mainly due to the difficulty of action of the buccinator muscle. Objectives: characterize the motor control and morphology of the masseter muscle in individuals with unilateral peripheral FP through electromyographic and ultrasonographic evaluation. Method: 16 participants, of both sexes, with ages superior to 18 years old. The study group (SG) consisted of 8 individuals who'd had idiopathic unilateral peripheral FP for more than 6 months; the control group (CG) consisted of 8 normal individuals. All the subjects were submitted to the masseter muscle evaluation through surface electromyography (sEMG) and ultrasonography (USG) during the following tasks: rest, clenching with cotton roller between the teeth (CT) and clenching with maximum intercuspation (MIC). Results: There was no statistically significant difference in comparisons within and between the groups concerning the hemifacial asymmetry, both for the sEMG and for the USG. Also there were no significant differences in the activation of the masticatory mus...

Background: electromyography and diadochokinesia. Aim: to analyze the oral movement rate in children with persistent developmental stuttering and in normally fluent children during the repetition of articulatory segments (diadochokinesia -DDK). Method: participants of the study were 50 children, with no distinction of gender and race, enrolled in public schools (primary and junior) of São Paulo city and Great São Paulo, whose families agreed, through informed consent, with the research procedures. The research group (GI) consisted of 19 children diagnosed as stutterers. The control group (GII) consisted of 31 fluent children. Results: the results of the study indicate that there were great similarities in performance in the DDK tasks for both groups. Standard deviation values were high for both groups. Conclusion: statistically significant differences were observed for the ability of sequential movement, i.e. when looking at ANOVA results the group of fluent children presented a better ability to move their articulators rapidly when producing sequential segments (pa/ta/ka).