title: Absence or weak correlation between chewing side preference and lateralities in primary, mixed and permanent dentition.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether chewing side preference (CSP) is correlated to lateralities (handedness, footedness, eyedness and earedness) in primary, mixed and permanent dentitions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three-hundred subjects were divided into 3 groups: Group 1--100 children 3-5 years old, primary dentition; Group 2--100 children 6-12 years old, mixed dentition; Group 3--100 subjects 18-47 years old, permanent dentition. CSP was determined using a method developed by Mc Donnell et al. Subjects were given a piece of gum and the position of the chewing gum was recorded 7 times as right or left. Subjects were classified as 'observed preferred chewing side' (OPCS) when they performed 5/7, 6/7 or 7/7 strokes on the same side. OPCS corresponded to the CSP. Laterality tests were performed for handedness, footedness, eyedness and earedness tasks. The Chi-square (χ(2)) and phi correlation (r) tests were used to investigate significant correlations between CSP and sidedness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant correlation between chewing and earedness (p=0.00), although there was weak positive correlation (r=0.30) for primary dentition. There were significant correlations between chewing and handedness (p=0.02; r=0.25) and chewing and footedness (p=0.02; r=0.26), however, there were weak positive correlations for mixed dentition; there were significant correlations between chewing and handedness (p=0.02; r=0.26); chewing and footedness (p=0.00; r=0.33) and chewing and earedness (p=0.01; r=0.29); however, there were weak positive correlations for permanent dentition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It may be concluded that CSP can be significantly correlated with: earedness for primary dentition; handedness and footedness for mixed dentition; handedness, footedness and earedness for permanent dentition, but these are weak positive relationships. Future work on larger samples of left- and right-sided individuals is required to validate the findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry, São José dos Campos School of Dentistry, São Paulo State University, SP, Brazil. daphnecbarcellos@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Daphne Camara
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Barcellos
authors.forename: Melissa Aline
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.forename: Graziela Ribeiro
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: Patricia Rondon
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Pleffken
authors.forename: César Rogério
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Pucci
authors.forename: Alessandra Bühler
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Borges
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rocha Gomes Torres
authors.forename: Sergio Eduardo de Paiva
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002638:Chewing Gum; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003818:Dentition, Mixed; D019229:Dentition, Permanent; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous
chemical_list: D002638:Chewing Gum