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A new masticatory performance assessment method for infants: A feasibility study
Carole Tournier1, Lauriane Demonteil1,2, Francis Canon1
1Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, AgroSup Dijon, CNRS, INRA, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France.
Insights
This study presents a new method to measure masticatory performance in infants and toddlers aged 6-18 months. The gel-comminution technique shows increased performance with age, offering insights into early oral development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Developmental Biology
- Oral Physiology
Background:
- Assessing masticatory performance in infants and toddlers is crucial for understanding oral development and feeding behaviors.
- Existing methods like chew-and-spit may be unfeasible for this age group.
- Early masticatory development influences food texture acceptance and overall nutrition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of a novel method for quantifying masticatory performance in infants and toddlers (6-18 months).
- To assess the relationship between masticatory performance, age, oral processing strategies, and dentition.
- To provide a practical tool for future research on early food oral processing.
Main Methods:
- A gel-comminution method using a mesh feeder was employed with 97 healthy children aged 6-18 months.
- Masticatory performance was assessed by analyzing gel particle size and number after 60s of oral processing.
- Children's oral processing strategies (sucking vs. biting/chewing) and compliance were recorded via video.
Main Results:
- Masticatory performance, indicated by increased particle number and area, significantly improved with age.
- Children's compliance with the feeder averaged 51%, decreasing after 12 months of age.
- Particle area was associated with sucking behavior, while teeth emergence showed no significant association.
Conclusions:
- The developed gel-comminution method is a feasible and relevant tool for quantifying masticatory performance development in young children.
- The method provides objective data on early masticatory abilities, aiding in understanding oral processing and food acceptance.
- Compliance data offers practical guidance for optimizing the application of this method in future studies.
Abstract:
This study evaluated the feasibility of assessing masticatory performance in infants and toddlers. Four groups of healthy children (n = 97, 42 girls and 55 boys) participated in the study: two study groups (SG) followed at 6, 8, and 10 months old (MO) or at 12, 15, and 18 MO, and two control groups (CG) of respectively 10 and 18 MO children. Masticatory performance was determined from children's ability to comminute a model gel during videotaped lab measurements. The gel was inserted in a mesh feeder and offered to the child for a 60s oral processing duration, then gel particles were collected from the feeder and photographed. Resulting gel breakdown was assessed from the characterization of the area and number of formed particles. Children strategy to orally process the gel (sucking vs. biting/chewing) was evaluated from video recordings. Children's compliance (acceptance of the feeder in the mouth for the expected duration) was average (51%) overall. It decreased from 1 year of age and was higher in SG than in CG. The number and area of gel particles formed under oral processing increased significantly with age, demonstrating an increase in children masticatory performance as they grew up. Median particles area was positively associated with sucking behavior and negatively associated with biting/chewing. The association with teeth emergence was not significant. In conclusion, the proposed method is relevant for quantifying the development of early masticatory performance in children who accept to hold the feeder in their mouth. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In this article, a method to easily quantify masticatory performance in young children aged 6-18 MO was evaluated. The method is based on a feeder and could be used for collecting boluses, as an alternative to the chew-and-spit method when it is unfeasible. Children's compliance to the method and the impact of previous study participation on compliance to the protocol are detailed, giving thus a rationale for an optimal application of this method in future experiments. Finally, the determination of masticatory performance as a function of age thanks to this method could contribute to the understanding of food oral processing and food texture acceptance in childhood in future studies.
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