Kylie D. Foster

Adaptation of healthy mastication to factors pertaining to the individual or to the food

Mastication is a physiological process controlled by the central nervous system and modulated by inputs from the mouth. Both the intrinsic characteristics of the subject and the extrinsic characteristics of the chewed food are responsible for variations of the masticatory function. Age, gender and dental state constitute the most studied intrinsic factors whereas hardness, rheological characteristics such as plasticity or elasticity, and food size are the better known extrinsic factors. These factors cause physiological adaptations which can occur during individual cycles or the whole sequence of mastication. Electromyographic and jaw movements (kinematic) recordings are commonly used to study mastication, from which, several variables can be measured. Vertical and lateral amplitudes and, velocities of jaw movements, are only given by kinematic recordings. Bioelectrical activities per cycle or per sequence are closely linked to masticatory forces and are measured from electromyographic recordings. Number of cycles, sequence duration and masticatory frequency can be measured from both types of recordings. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the variations of the measured masticatory variables that occur when mastication adapts to changes in characteristics of the individual or the food.

The Role of Oral Processing in Dynamic Sensory Perception

Food oral processing is not only important for the ingestion and digestion of food, but also plays an important role in the perception of texture and flavor. This overall sensory perception is dynamic and occurs during all stages of oral processing. However, the relationships between oral operations and sensory perception are not yet fully understood. This article reviews recent progress and research findings on oral food processing, with a focus on the dynamic character of sensory perception of solid foods. The reviewed studies are discussed in terms of both physiology and food properties, and cover first bite, mastication, and swallowing. Little is known about the dynamics of texture and flavor perception during mastication and the importance on overall perception. Novel approaches use time intensity and temporal dominance techniques, and these will be valuable tools for future research on the dynamics of texture and flavor perception.

Measuring Intraoral Pressure: Adaptation of a Dental Appliance Allows Measurement During Function

This article introduces a new way of recording intraoral pressures from a range of locations within the oral cavity. To measure pressure flow dynamics during swallowing, we fitted eight miniature pressure transducers capable of measuring absolute pressures to a chrome-cobalt palatal appliance with a labial bow. Unlike previous devices, our design provides a rigid, custom-fitted platform for the simultaneous recording of pressures at eight locations within the oral cavity during function. We placed an anterior pair of gauges to measure lingual and labial contact against the left central incisor tooth, and two pairs of gauges to measure pressure contributions of the lateral tongue margin and cheeks on the canine and first molar teeth. Finally, lingual pressure on the midline of the palate was measured by two gauges, one at the position of the premolars and one on the posterior boundary of the hard palate. We then recorded intraoral pressures in five adult volunteers seated in an upright position and asked to swallow 10 ml of water. Labial pressures on the canine rose rapidly from a resting level of 10 kPa to 33 kPa, while pressure profiles from the labial aspects of the incisor and first molar teeth followed a negative pattern, peaking at −12 kPa for the incisor and −15 kPa for the molar sensor. Pressure profiles recorded from the palatal aspects of the first molar and the canine appeared to be similar, but the former fell to −13 kPa before rising to 9 kPa, and the canine pressure rapidly increased to 22 kPa before returning to its resting level of 4 kPa. The pressure profile of the palatal aspect of the central incisor was strikingly different; at the start of the swallow, pressure dropped precipitously to −20 kPa, before slowly rising to 10 kPa. It then followed the general pattern of the other two sensors, before peaking again at 10 kPa and then returning to a resting level of 4 kPa. We also showed that there were significant negative pressures in the mouth during function, and that pressure profiles varied markedly between individuals.

Using a Motion‐Capture System to Record Dynamic Articulation for Application in CAD/CAM Software

PURPOSE One of the current limitations of computer software programs for the virtual articulation of the opposing teeth is the static nature of the intercuspal position. Currently, software programs cannot identify eccentric occlusal contacts during masticatory cyclic movements of the mandible. MATERIALS AND METHODS Chewing trajectories with six degrees of freedom (DOF) were recorded and imposed on a computer model of one subjects maxillary and mandibular teeth. The computer model was generated from a set of high-resolution micro-CT images. To obtain natural chewing trajectories with six DOF, an optoelectronic motion-capturing system (VICON MX) was used. For this purpose, a special mandibular motion-tracking appliance was developed for this subject. RESULTS Mandibular movements while chewing elastic and plastic food samples were recorded and reproduced with the computer model. Examples of mandibular movements at intraoral points are presented for elastic and plastic food samples. The potential of such a kinematic computer model to analyze the dynamic nature of an occlusion was demonstrated by investigating the interaction of the second molars and the direction of the biting force during a chewing cycle. CONCLUSIONS The article described a methodology that measured mandibular movements during mastication for one subject. This produced kinematic input to 3D computer modeling for the production of a virtual dynamic articulation that is suitable for incorporation into dental CAD/CAM software.

Object-oriented knowledge representation and discovery of human chewing behaviours

Mastication is a complex process influenced by numerous factors including those associated with an individual and the ingested food. Human chewing behaviour can be characterised by measuring mandibular movements and muscular activities during a masticatory sequence or by measuring the particle size distribution and rheological characteristics of the swallowed food mass. To constructively understand the mastication process and assess the mastication performance, a formal description of the chewing behaviour is proposed in this paper. An object-oriented model is developed and described in Unified Modelling Language (UML). The chewing behaviour model is composed of three objects, one for the jaws physiological apparatus, one for the properties defining the mastication process and foods being chewed, and a further one for the association of the properties. A complete representation of the chewing behaviour is achieved by linking three object models via an additional class for chewing data that is collected experimentally. With the object model, the chewing behaviour is further instantiated by discovering knowledge hidden in the chewing database by data mining. A case study is presented to show the procedure of how the hidden knowledge is discovered and the data mining results are interpreted in the context of food science.

Changes in sensory perception of sports drinks when consumed pre, during and post exercise.

The aim of this study was to examine sensory perceptions towards different formulations of sports drinks when consumed before, at various points during, and following exercise. Following familiarization 14 recreational runners underwent four trials in a single blind counterbalanced design. Each trial utilised one of four different solutions: 7.5% carbohydrate, 421 mg L(-1) electrolyte (HiC-HiE); 7.5% carbohydrate, 140 mg L(-1) electrolyte (HiC-LoE); 1.3% carbohydrate, 421 mg L(-1) electrolyte (LoC-HiE) and water. Subjects were provided with 50-ml samples to ingest and then rate (using a 100-mm line scale) the intensity of sweetness, saltiness, thirst-quenching ability and overall liking before (-30 min), during (0, 30 and 60 min) and following (90 and 120 min) treadmill running exercise. Ratings of sweetness for all energy-containing drinks were higher during exercise relative to pre- and post-exercise conditions (P<0.05); ratings also increased with duration of exercise (P<0.001). Sweetness ratings for LoC-HiE increased during exercise (P<0.05) but remained the same for other beverages. Ratings of saltiness decreased for all energy-containing drinks during exercise relative to pre-exercise (P<0.05); ratings decreased with duration of exercise in these drinks (P<0.05). Ratings of thirst-quenching ability (P=0.039) and overall liking (P=0.013) increased with duration of exercise with all beverages. Significant changes in sensory perception occur when consuming sports drinks during exercise relative to non-exercise conditions. Temporal changes also occur during exercise itself which leads to enhanced liking of all beverages.

Object-oriented knowledge framework for modelling human mastication of foods

To model human mastication of foods, an object-oriented knowledge framework is developed that consists of three class objects, one for the physiology related to the mastication, one for the masticatory measurements, and the other for the factors affecting mastication. Each class object is structured in a hierarchy of sub-objects according to the domain or literature knowledge. The knowledge about the relationships among the attributes of objects is represented by IF-THEN rules. These rules can be discovered from the experimental database following the knowledge discovery in database. A case study is presented where a foods chewing database involving EMG mandibular movement measurements is used, two decision trees are discovered with respect to the type of rheological properties and hardness, and the rules derived are expressed in the context of the knowledge framework.