Computerized Data Acquisition and Analysis for Real-Time Electromyography in Clinical Dentistry

The purpose of this research was to design and use a minicomputer-based data acquisition system in a clinical dental environment to digitize and analyze electromyographic (EMG) and jaw motion data. The quantitation of EMG in clinical problems requires a significant number of patients, short analysis times, and efficient acquisition and analysis of data. A present extension of this system is to utilize interactive computer graphics for presentation of these data for evaluation by clinical personnel. To facilitate EMG evaluation for clinical diagnostic purposes, a realtime capability was designed to accommodate high-speed simultaneous data collection from a multiplicity of signal sources, viz., 5 EMG channels, biting force, and jaw position. Once digitization and storage begin, data reduction and analysis programs are provided for immediate presentation of results. Application of the system to examine jaw motion has resulted in clinically useful diagnostic information. These results suggest that fuller utilization of the potential of the computer system will provide deeper clinical and physiological insight and, therefore, better dental treatment for a large fraction of the population.