Chewing efficiency and state of dentition

Abstract

Chewing efficiency, defined as the ability to grind a certain portion of a test food during a given time, was tested in 139 Skolt Lapps, ages 14-65. 94 persons had natural teeth and the remaining 45 wore dentures (partial and/or complete). The test food was almonds. Number of chewing strokes, swallowings and chewing time was denoted. The chewing efficiency was classified after a scale from 1 to 5 where 1 meant very good and 5 very poor ability to reduce the particle size of the test food. Clear associations were found between chewing efficiency and dental state. Number of occluding pairs of teeth was closely correlated with chewing efficiency and individuals with less than 20 teeth had a higher index score than those with more than 20 teeth. The values noted for number of chewing strokes, swallowings and chewing time were smaller for those with a good chewing efficiency, but the variation was not linear and not always significant. Denture wearers had statistically significantly higher chewing efficiency score than those with natural teeth, without dentures, and needed more chewing time before swallowing.

Number of Occlusal Units Estimated from Number of Present Teeth

“…Helkimo et al 3) assessed the ability of 139 subjects to grind a given quantity of sample food within a specific time period. The number of occluding pairs of teeth was closely correlated with chewing efficiency, and individuals with fewer than 20 teeth had poorer chewing efficiency than those with more than 20 teeth.…”

Protocol for production of a chewable material for masticatory function tests (Optocal - Brazilian version)

“…15 Some tests described in the literature use natural foods as a material test, using one or more bolters for measuring the comminution power of that patient. 4,5 Physical properties of natural foods vary and are difficult to standardize. There are variations in food shape, size, and hardness, which produce differences in the tests, thus influencing the final results.…”

“…8 Masticatory performance can determine an individual's capacity to grind or pulverize a chewable test material, artificial or natural, and results from a complex interplay of direct and indirect effects, as the number of functional tooth units, muscle (bite), 9 and by the size of the area and the occlusal surface of these teeth. Therefore, masticatory function is reduced in people who have lost post-canine teeth 4,10 and in those who wear removable dentures. 5,[11][12][13] Condensation silicone has been used in masticatory tests with excellent results.…”

“…5,[11][12][13] Condensation silicone has been used in masticatory tests with excellent results. 4,[14][15][16][17][18] The silicone samples fulfill all the criteria of a test material. Namely, it is stable, accurate, reproducible, and has mechanical properties that are comparable with those of natural food substances.…”

“…3 Natural foods that are most preferred by the authors are: peanuts, almonds, cocoa, carrots, jelly, hazelnuts, decaffeinated coffee beans and nuts. 2,[4][5][6][7] The mechanical properties of natural food could change even within the first 0.2-0.3 s of the first chew as an effect of the oral environment. 8 Masticatory performance can determine an individual's capacity to grind or pulverize a chewable test material, artificial or natural, and results from a complex interplay of direct and indirect effects, as the number of functional tooth units, muscle (bite), 9 and by the size of the area and the occlusal surface of these teeth.…”