Novel software for quantitative evaluation and graphical representation of masticatory efficiency

Abstract

Blending of chewing gums of different colours is used in the clinical setting, as a simple and reliable means for the assessment of chewing efficiency. However, the available software is difficult to use in an everyday clinical setting, and there is no possibility of automated classification of the patient's chewing ability in a graph, to facilitate visualisation of the results and to evaluate potential chewing difficulties. The aims of this study were to test the validity of ViewGum - a novel image analysis software for the evaluation of boli derived from a two-colour mixing ability test - and to establish a baseline graph for the representation of the masticatory efficiency in a healthy population. Image analysis demonstrated significant hue variation decrease as the number of chewing cycles increased, indicating a higher degree of colour mixture. Standard deviation of hue (SDHue) was significantly different between all chewing cycles. Regression of the log-transformed values of the medians of SDHue on the number of chewing cycles showed a high statistically significant correlation (r² = 0.94, P < 0.01). ViewGum eliminates drawbacks of previous two-colour chewing gum test methods by the simplicity of its application. The newly developed ViewGum software provides speed, ease of use and immediate extraction of clinically useful conclusions to the already established method of chewing efficiency evaluation and is a valid adjunct for the evaluation of masticatory efficiency with two-colour chewing gum.

Reliability of a two‐colour chewing gum test to assess masticatory performance in complete denture wearers

“…The circular variance of the hue (VOH) is considered the measure of mixing. The smaller is the VOH value, the greater is the mixing of the two‐coloured layers of the chewed gum, which in turn means better chewing performance . The step‐by‐step procedure for delimitation of the gum images and VOH calculation is detailed elsewhere .…”

The effects of prosthetic status and dementia on the chewing efficiency of seniors in nursing homes

“…14,15 This further explains why edentulism is negatively associated with cognitive function, 15 whereas elderly people with natural teeth or functional prostheses may not suffer from reduced cognitive function, assuming they have no difficulty chewing. [16][17][18][19] Chewing efficiency is influenced by several variables including age, gender 20 and salivary flow rate. The two-colour chewing gum test has been described as a simple, quick and valid tool that enables detection of small changes in masticatory performance.…”

Impact of Prosthodontic Rehabilitation on the Masticatory Performance of Partially Dentate Older Patients: Can It Predict Nutritional State? Results From a RCT

“…The variance of hue (VOH) was therefore considered as the measure of mixing [23]. VOH is significantly associated with the number of chewing cycles and correlates to the comminution test [22].…”