Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Effect of the texture of food on the masticatory process.

1993; Japanese Association for Oral Biology; Volume: 35; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2330/joralbiosci1965.35.312

0385-0137

Eiko Arai, Yoshiaki Yamada,

Laser Applications in Dentistry and Medicine

The mode of mastication of soft foods was examined through visual analysis with cineradiography and self description by experimental subjects, using agar and gelatin gels as test foods. The mode altered from compression with the tongue and hard palate to shearing with the dentition as the hardness of model samples was increased. The thresholds of hardness requiring a shift of mastication mode from compression to shearing were 0.08 kg for the agar gel and 0.03 kg for the gelatin gel, although the gelatin gel shear strain was larger. Rupture stress was also found to be an important factor in changing the mode. A value from 150-250 g/cm2 was observed to be the threshold. Visual analysis of cineradiography revealed that the food texture may be recognized by initial compression (deformation rate, about 12%) between the tongue and hard palate, around thei ncisive papilla. Very soft food was treated in the same way as liquid food, although it has nofl uidity. The mastication mode of a food may be determined according to the texture. The food was masticated either by compression with the tongue and hard palate or by shearing with the teeth. It was suspected that the process of initial compression of food with the tongue and the incisive papilla region is the first step of texture recognition.