The association between jaw-opening strength, geniohyoid muscle thickness and echo intensity measured by ultrasound

Abstract

Aim: Jaw-opening strength is an indicator of swallowing function including hyoid bone elevation. Geniohyoid muscles play an important role during hyoid bone elevation. This study aimed to investigate whether geniohyoid muscle thickness and echo intensity measured by ultrasonography were related to jaw-opening strength.Material and methods: Sixty-eight participants (39 men) with an average age of 77±7.7 years were recruited from a functional training health care facility. We measured muscle thickness and echo intensity of the geniohyoid muscle on transverse ultrasound images.Results: Age, calf circumference, grip strength, muscle thickness and echo intensity were significantly associated with jaw-opening strength in univariate analyses. After adjusting for grip strength in multiple regression analysis, geniohyoid muscle thickness and echo intensity were significantly associated with jaw-opening strength (β=0.29 for muscle thickness, β=−0.26 for echo intensity).Conclusions: There was a positive correlation between geniohyoid muscle thickness and jaw-opening strength; echo intensity negatively correlated with jaw-opening strength. Ultrasound evaluation of geniohyoid muscle status provides important information about maintaining jaw-opening strength.

The mouth‐opening muscular performance in adults with and without temporomandibular disorders: A systematic review

“…All three used the updated Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders as the main inclusion criterion 28 . One study included only patients with pain‐related TMD, 29 and the other two included patients with pain‐related TMDs and/or intra‐articular TMDs 30,31 . Each study used different measurement devices and protocols.…”

“…Furthermore, several important limitations were found within this already small volume of relevant evidence. Only one of the three included studies evaluated the maximal mouth opening strength of patients with TMDs 31 while the other two assessed muscular endurance 29,30 . Although Ratnayake et al 31 assessed the reliability of their measurement between repeated attempts during the same session, the required test‐retest for intra‐ and inter‐tester reliability was not performed, 33 and the results should, therefore, be taken with extra caution.…”

“…Although Ratnayake et al 31 assessed the reliability of their measurement between repeated attempts during the same session, the required test‐retest for intra‐ and inter‐tester reliability was not performed, 33 and the results should, therefore, be taken with extra caution. The same methodology for evaluating the reliability of measurement was not performed in the other two studies that evaluated the muscular endurance of patients with TMDs 29,30 . Finally, none of the studies in this category evaluated the maximal strength of the jaw protrusion muscles which comprise an important component for the physiological mouth opening function 1 .…”

“…29 Significant reductions of muscular performance were found among patients with TMDs compared to healthy controls, with no difference between TMD subgroups. 30,31 Patients with TMD-related pain who presented with "general pain" demonstrated lower endurance compared to those without "general pain". 29…”

Automatic Hyoid Bone Tracking in Real-Time Ultrasound Swallowing Videos Using Deep Learning Based and Correlation Filter Based Trackers

“…The recent development of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) increases the possibility of using it to monitor swallowing function at the bedside [ 9 ]. Ultrasound imaging is a rising star as it is “simple and repeatable” and “gives real-time feedback” [ 10 ].…”