Chewing cycle kinematics in young children using a low-cost 3D camera system: A proof-of-concept study

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Pediatric Dentistry
• Human Movement Science

Background:

• Studying chewing cycle kinematics in young children is challenging due to the high cost of traditional laboratory equipment.
• Limited research exists on pediatric chewing patterns and their response to varying food intake.
• Developing accessible technology for pediatric movement analysis is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of a low-cost three-dimensional (3D) tracking system for analyzing pediatric jaw movements.
• To capture spatial and temporal data of chewing kinematics in children aged 12-36 months.
• To identify changes in jaw movements in response to different food portion sizes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an Intel RealSense D435 depth camera to record jaw motion in five children (12-36 months).
• Applied paper markers on the forehead and chin, tracking their 3D coordinates using custom Python software.
• Analyzed chewing cycle kinematics, including cycle duration and displacement, for small and large food portions.

Main Results:

• The low-cost 3D camera system reliably recorded marker trajectories and synchronized video with 3D coordinate data.
• The system successfully captured individual variations in chewing kinematics between different portion sizes.
• Observed changes in jaw movement patterns, though not uniform across all participants or kinematic variables.

Conclusions:

• This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the feasibility of using an affordable 3D camera system for pediatric chewing analysis.
• The system is sensitive enough to detect kinematic changes associated with varying food portion sizes in young children.
• This technology offers a promising, cost-effective approach for studying pediatric feeding and swallowing behaviors.