Chewing Ability

Abstract

Chewing ability is a general term referring to the ability to put food in the mouth, bite it, crush and grind it, form a bolus mingled with saliva, and then swallow the bolus. This term encompasses the whole ability from after catching the food with one's mouth to the swallowing threshold. As chewing ability relies on oral functions involving occlusion and the temporomandibular joint, tongue, and muscles of mastication, it is reduced by senile changes of these functions. Overview Chewing ability is composed of the ability to perform multiple steps ranging from holding the food with one's mouth to swallowing it. Babies obtain masticatory function after 18 months of age. Numbers of teeth and functional tooth units are correlated with chewing ability. Chewing ability declines with age, leading to worsening of health status and nutritional status, lowering of quality of life (QOL), development of sarcopenia, and an increase of risk for mortality. The method of chewing ability evaluation is classified into two types, i.e., direct and indirect method. Rehabilitation of chewing ability may improve nutritional status, general health, quality of life (QOL), and cognitive function in older adults.