Abstract
Evaluation of the masticatory function in children is important in pediatric dentistry to diagnose whether a patient has any dysfunction in mastication. Newly developed color changeable chewing gum has been used for the evaluation of masticatory performance in adults. The purpose of the present study was to determine the optimum time and adequate volume of the gum for chewing for the evaluation of mastication in children. Forty children (6.8±1.8yrs) and ten adults (27.8±2.0yrs) were selected as the subjects. The subjects were instructed to chew two different volumes (full volume and half volume) of color changeable chewing gum for four different time periods (30 sec,1 min,1.5 min and 2 min). The change in color was measured based on the a* value using a photocolor reader and by referring to the color scale which was printed on the package of the gum. The a* value increased with the increase in chewing time.
The a* v alue did not reach over 20 in the case of chewing using a full volume of the gum, which was not suited for the evaluation of child masticatory performance. On the contrary, the average a* value was 21.0 in the case of chewing using a half volume of the gum for 2 minutes of chewing. The gums were not well-mixed in the case of chewing using a full volume of the gum for 1.5 minutes or less and were not measurable in such cases. Using a half volume of the gum, all of the subjects reached the color scale value of 4 or over after chewing for 2 minutes.
Overall, it is sugg ested that the optimum gum volume and chewing time for children were different than those for adults.
