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Masseter muscle activity in bottle feeding with the chewing type bottle teat: evidence from electromyographs
R Sakashita1, T Kamegai, N Inoue
1Department of Preventive Dentistry, Kagoshima University Dental School, Japan.
Insights
Chewing type bottle teats promote masticatory muscle activity in infants, mimicking breastfeeding patterns. This contrasts with regular sucking type teats, suggesting chewing teats aid in developing proper muscle function.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Infant Nutrition
- Biomechanical Engineering
Background:
- Reduced masticatory muscle activity is a concern in bottle-fed infants.
- Bottle feeding often involves sucking rather than chewing motions.
- The development of infant feeding mechanisms is crucial for oral motor skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of chewing type bottle teats on infant masticatory muscle activity.
- To compare muscle activity between infants using chewing type teats, sucking type teats, and breastfeeding.
- To determine if chewing type teats can promote more natural feeding behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Myoelectric activities of the masseter muscles were recorded in 12 bottle-fed infants using chewing type teats.
- Electromyographic data from breastfed infants and infants using regular sucking type teats served as controls.
- Statistical analysis (ANOVA) was used to compare muscle activity across groups.
Main Results:
- Masseter muscle activity in infants using chewing type teats was qualitatively and quantitatively similar to that of breastfed infants.
- Significant differences in muscle activity were observed between infants using chewing type teats and those using sucking type teats.
- Infants using chewing type teats exhibited a chewing action, unlike those using sucking type teats.
Conclusions:
- Chewing type bottle teats facilitate a chewing action comparable to breastfeeding.
- The use of chewing type bottle teats appears beneficial for establishing normal masseter muscle activity.
- These findings suggest a potential improvement over traditional sucking type bottle teats for infant oral motor development.
Abstract:
It was reported that the activity of the masticatory muscles is reduced in bottle fed babies. The effects of chewing type bottle teats distributed in Japan on masticatory muscle activity were evaluated. Myoelectric activities of the masseter muscles of 12 babies bottle fed with chewing type bottle teats were recorded and analyzed by the same method as in the previous study. The electromyographic records of 12 breast fed babies and 12 babies bottle fed with regular sucking type bottle teats, which were reported in a previous study, were used as controls. The results show that the masseter muscle activity of babies bottle fed with chewing type bottle teats was similar to that of breast fed babies qualitatively as well as quantitatively. However, activity was visibly different from that of babies bottle fed with sucking type bottle teats, showing significant difference by ANOVA. These data suggest that babies who are ingesting milk from chewing type bottle teats do so with a chewing action similar to that of breast feeding, but very different from that of bottle feeding with sucking type bottle teats. The conclusion was that the chewing type bottle teat is useful for establishing masseter muscle activity.
