CHEWING GUM SIDE-PREFERENCE TEST CORRELATES WITH ASYMMETRY IN MASSETER MUSCLES VOLUMES

Several studies demonstrated the involvement of GABA and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in trigeminal pain transmission [1, 2, 3, 4]; anyway, there are still poorly understood mechanisms modulating pain, resulting, for instance, in hypoalgesia in hypertensive patients [4]. One possibility is that the activity of afferent neurons during mastication modulates ROS production in second-order sensory neurons [5]. An ongoing research project is aimed to reveal such mechanisms in humans with fMRI; here the preliminary results of the methodological approach to show an asymmetrical mastication will be reported, demonstrating that the chewing gum side-preference test correlates with anatomical features.