Evaluation of the thickness of masticatory muscles in chronic periodontitis patients

Periodontitis is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases. Periodontitis is known to cause loss of oral functions; therefore, it may affect masticatory capacity, which can be measured by bite force and thickness of the masseter and temporal muscles. It is also known that periodontal treatment has positive effects on masticatory function. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of periodontitis and periodontal treatment on masticatory abilities by measuring masseter and temporal muscle thicknesses with ultrasonography before and after periodontal treatment in chronic periodontitis patients. The patients included in the study were determined by clinical and radiological examination. The thickness of the masseter and anterior temporal muscles of the patients were measured by ultrasonography bilaterally at rest and at maximum contraction. Periodontal measurements and treatments of the patients were completed by a single physician. IBM SPSS 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) statistical program was used for statistical analysis. Significance level was determined as p<0.05. A statistically significant difference was found between the values of periodontal measurements before and after treatment (p<0.05). In the USG measurements of the thickness of the masseter and anterior temporal muscles, a statistically significant increase was observed in both rest and contraction values at all time intervals (p<0.05). Muscle thicknesses of male patients were higher than female patients in all muscle groups. In this study, it was shown that periodontal treatment increased the thickness of the masticatory muscles and masticatory performance. Chronic periodontitis patients should be referred for periodontal treatment without wasting time.