Analysis of the foot load in subjects with prevalent unilateral chewing

The relationship between occlusion and posture has been and is still strongly debated. This study examines 40 male and female healthy subjects, (11 males and 29 females, average age: 26.27 years, st dv: 3.03) aged between 21 and 32. The baropodometric evaluation was performed with the subject in rest position and in usual centric occlusion. The results obtained were analyzed using a baropodometric platform and Freesteps software (Sensor Medica srl, Rome - Italy) analyzing the podalic load, the foot axis and the foot angles. The values reported show that 80% of subjects in rest position (p-value 0.01) and 70% of subjects in centric occlusion (p-value 0.05) have a greater foot load in the contralateral foot compared to the chewing side; moreover, the foot axis values are statistically significant because 77% of subjects in rest position and 72% in centric occlusion have a foot axis more open on the same side than the chewing one. The foot angles values are not significant. These results could be understood analyzing the activation of the body muscular chains: on the chewing side there is an increase of the activity of the flexion chain with side bending of the trunk. This induces a change of the body barycenter compensated by an outer rotation of the homolateral leg and foot; moreover, the body bending creates a false short leg on the same side, explaining the excess of podalic load on the other side. These values show that the hypothesis of a correlation appears to be likely, although obviously it still needs confirmation and further analysis.