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Selection of food and chewing side for evaluating masticatory path stability
Hiroshi Shiga1, Yoshinori Kobayashi, Ichiro Arakawa
1Department of Removable Prosthodontics, The Nippon Dental University School of Dentistry at Tokyo, 2-3-16 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8158, Japan. h-shiga@tokyo.ndu.ac.jp
Odontology
|September 25, 2003
Summary
Chewing gum and unilateral chewing provide the most stable masticatory movement for research. This study identified optimal conditions for evaluating chewing stability in healthy subjects.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Dental Science
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Masticatory movement stability is crucial for assessing oral function.
- Identifying optimal conditions for evaluating masticatory performance is essential for research and clinical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the most suitable food texture and chewing side for evaluating masticatory movement path stability.
- To compare the stability of masticatory movements across different food types and chewing methods.
Main Methods:
- Healthy subjects (n=20) masticated three food types: chewing gum, peanut, and crispy bread.
- Incisal point movement was recorded during 10-second chewing trials.
- Movement path stability indicators were calculated and compared between food types and chewing sides (free vs. unilateral).
Main Results:
- Masticatory movement was most stable with chewing gum, followed by peanut, and least stable with crispy bread.
- Unilateral chewing demonstrated significantly greater stability than free chewing across all food types.
- Statistically significant differences were observed between all food pairs for most stability indicators.
Conclusions:
- Softened chewing gum is the most suitable food for evaluating masticatory movement path stability.
- Unilateral chewing on the habitual side is the preferred method for assessing chewing stability.
- These findings aid in standardizing masticatory function assessments.