Condylar Degradation from Decreased Occlusal Loading following Masticatory Muscle Atrophy

Table 1

Masseter mass and cartilage contour dimensions. After unloading treatments, the masseter mass of the SD group and BTX group decreased more than the control group. Regarding the thickness of condylar cartilage, the SD group and BTX group showed significantly more thinning than the control group. The width and length of the condylar head of the BTX group diminished as well, whereas the SD group showed no difference.

	Control Group		SD Group		Botox Group
	Mean	Standard; Deviation	Mean	Standard; Deviation	Mean	Standard; Deviation
Masseter Mass	1.19 g	±0.05	1.09 g	±0.06	0.59 g	±0.08
Width of Condylar Head	1.53 mm	±0.07	1.46 mm	±0.10	1.38 mm	±0.18
Length of Condylar Head	3.76 mm	±0.20	3.74 mm	±0.19	3.38 mm	±0.34
Thickness of Condylar Cartilage	178.33 μm	±30.96	139.13 μm	±29.40	80.99 μm	±10.29

P<0.05; P<0.01; P<0.001