Effects of Jaw Clenching while Wearing a Customized Bite-Aligning Mouthpiece on Strength in Healthy Young Men

Research output: Indexed journal article Articlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recent studies have investigated the ergogenic effects of different types of mouthguards. There is evidence of the benefits of clenching customized mouthpieces on force and power development. The phenomenon called concurrent activation potentiation (CAP) promoted in jaw clenching seems to enhance the muscular strength and power in maximal isometric contractions and powerful actions in sport. Moreover, a bite-Aligning mouthpiece may promote a more aligned and powerful clench. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of jaw clenching while wearing a customized bite-Aligning mouthpiece (MP) on jump ability and isometric maximal strength tests in contrast to 2 other conditions: nonjaw clenching (NON-JAW) and jaw clenching without the mouthpiece (JAW). A within-subjects design was used to assess the jump performance and the maximal isometric force in 28 physically active male subjects. Statistical analyses revealed significantly higher performance in JAW and NON-JAW conditions for handgrip force (HG-peakforce) and all variables of the back-row exercise (BRW) and countermovement vertical jump (CMVJ) (p ≤ 0.05). Significant differences between NON-JAW and JAW were found for HG-peakforce (p ≤ 0.05). These findings suggest that it is advisable to use a customized bite-Aligning mouthpiece to improve strength and power performance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1102-1110
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Volume30
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2016

Keywords

  • ergogenic effects
  • jump power
  • maximal force
  • mouthguard

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Effects of Jaw Clenching while Wearing a Customized Bite-Aligning Mouthpiece on Strength in Healthy Young Men'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this