Head movements during chewing: relation to size and texture of bolus.
Coordinated mandibular and head-neck movements during jaw opening-closing activities suggest a close functional linkage between the jaw and the neck regions. The present study investigated whether size and texture of bolus can influence head-neck behavior during chewing. Using an optoelectronic 3-D recording technique, we analyzed concomitant mandibular and head-neck movements in 12 healthy adults chewing small (3 g) and large (9 g) boluses of chewing gum and Optosil. The main finding was a head extension during chewing, the amount of which was related mainly to bolus size. Furthermore, each chewing cycle was accompanied not only by mandibular movements, but also by head extension-flexion movements. Larger head movement amplitudes were correlated with larger size and, to some extent, also with harder texture of the bolus. The results suggest that head-neck behavior during chewing is modulated in response to changes in jaw sensory-motor input.
Häggman-Henrikson
B
B
Department of Odontology, Clinical Oral Physiology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden.
Eriksson
P-O
PO
D000328:Adult; D002638:Chewing Gum; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D019416:Head Movements; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000502:physiology; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology*; D008410:Masticatory Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012828:Silicones; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D002638:Chewing Gum; D012828:Silicones; C031243:OV-225