Mandibular movement during mastication of various foods

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the presence or absence of changes in mandibular movement during thechewing of various foods. Healthy dentate adults with a masticatory performance above the standard value (150 mg/dL)participated in this study. Mandibular movement when chewing softened gum for 20 s on the habitual chewing side was recordedusing a Motion Visi-Trainer. The masticatory movement path patterns were classified into five types, and 20 adults(10 men, 10 women; average age, 27.1 years) who showed normal patterns were asked to chew three foods (gummy jelly,peanuts, and beef jerky), and their mandibular movements were recorded. The opening distance, masticatory width, andcycle time were calculated as quantitative parameters. The path patterns and quantitative parameters of the four foodswere compared. The pattern of the masticatory movement path when chewing various foods was the same, and no changeswere observed owing to the different foods. The opening distance and masticatory width were similar for gummy jelly andchewing gum but were significantly larger for beef jerky and chewing peanuts. For cycle time, there were cases wherethere was a significant difference between the two foods, and cases where there was no significant difference. These resultssuggest that in healthy dentate adults with good masticatory function, the pattern of the masticatory movement path doesnot change when chewing various foods; however, the amount of movement is greater when chewing peanuts or beef jerkythan when chewing gum or gummy jelly.