Rat as a Model for Studying the Effect of Masticatory Muscle Function on Craniofacial Growth

Over the years there has been a need to study the influence of masticatory muscle function on craniofacial growth because the knowledge of the mechanisms behind both normal and abnormal craniofacial growth is a prerequisite for adequate treatment of craniofacial anomalies, including dental malocclusions. In this article, an animal experimental model is presented that helps to further elucidate this topic. A common characteristic of the investigations referred to has been the change of the consistency of diet to reduce or to rehabilitate masticatory muscle function, with or without the help of functional appliances. From these investigations it has been learned that the decreased loading of the jaws, as the result of masticatory muscle hypofunction, influences sutural growth, transverse growth, and a change in the growth rotation pattern, as well as changes in the morphology of the mandible, the condyle, and the internal bone structures of the alveolar bone of the mandible.