Inhibition of jaw-closing muscle activity by tactile air-jet stimulation of peri- and intra-oral sites in man.

There were two distinct periods of suppression in electromyograms of masseter and temporalis muscles in 8 subjects after light tactile stimulation (a puff of air) of the peri-oral zone; the latencies were 16 and 60 ms, respectively. These effects were similar to those induced by painful electrical stimulation. A single period of suppression with a latency of 50 ms, was evoked by tactile stimulation of the mucosa of the hard palate or of the tongue. Threshold for suppression was lower in mucosa than skin. Low-threshold and fast-adapting receptors are likely to be involved in this reflex inhibition.