Background: Neurodegenerative diseases that affect the cerebellum, especially in elderly individuals, cause impairment of motor coordination and quality of life. The presente study evaluated the electromyographic activity and thickness of the right and left masseter and temporal muscles, and the maximum molar bite force of individuals with spinocerebellar ataxia.
Material and methods: Twenty-eight individuals were divided into two groups: those with (n=14) and without (n=14) spinocerebellar ataxia. Data on the masticatory muscles obtained from the electromyographic activity (resting, right and left laterality and protrusion), muscle thickness (maximal voluntary contraction and tensile strength) and maximum bite force (right and left) were tabulated and descriptive analysis using Student's t-test (P ≤ 0.05).
Results: In the comparison between groups, greater electromyographic activity was demonstrated for individuals with spinocerebellar ataxia, with a statistically significant difference in protrusion and laterality for the temporal muscles (P = 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for masticatory muscles thickness in the conditions evaluated. For maximum molar bite force, the group with spinocerebellar ataxia showed lower bite force (P ≤ 0.05).
Conclusions: The data obtained suggest that spinocerebellar ataxia promotes functional reduction in the stomatognathic system, mainly affecting the electromyographic activity and bite force, hindering chewing, with a resultant alteration of nutritional intake and a decrease of quality of life.