The Relationship Between Jaw Posture and Muscular Strength in Sports Dentistry: A Reappraisal

ABSTRACT

From the late 1970s until the early 1990s, there have been several reports of improved appendage muscle strength and athletic performance. Much of the criticism of using a mouthguard alone or in conjunction with a splint, such as a mandibular orthopedic repositioning appliance (MORA), to enhance athletic performance has been aimed at study designs, controls, periods of time, double blindness, and the placebo effect. Although it would appear that designing a study which pleases both clinician and researcher would be a difficult task, studies have been performed that do meet the “gold standard.” The results favor the premise that jaw repositioning can enhance appendage muscular strength and athletic performance. Studies performed during the mid-1980s, and to which the scientific community refers to continually, on closer examination are flawed.

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Notes on contributors

Harold Gelb

Dr. Harold Gelb received his B.S. degree from New York University in 1944 and his D.M.D. degree from Tufts University College of Dental Medicine in 1947. Currently Dr. Gelb is an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of General Dentistry at Tufts University College of Dental Medicine. He is founder of the Craniomandibular Pain Center at Tufts University College of Dental Medicine. Dr. Gelb is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain.

Noshir R. Mehta

Dr. Noshir R. Mehta is Chairman and Professor of General Dentistry and Director of the Gelb Craniomandibular and Orofacial Pain Center at Tufts University College of Dental Medicine. He received his D.M.D. degree and his M.S. degree in periodontics at Tufts, where he has been working in occlusion research. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain, and a national and international lecturer. Dr. Mehta maintains a practice limited to periodontics and temporomandibular disorders.

Albert G. Forgione

Dr. Albert G. Forgione is Chief Clinical Consultant of the Gelb Craniomandibular and Orofacial Pain Center and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology al Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. He received his Ph.D. at Boston University where he did research in psychophysiology and behavioral psychology. He joined the faculty of Tufts in 1972 where he taught behavioral medicine and hypnosis. Together with Dr. Mehta, he started the TMJ Center at Tufts in 1979.