title: Effect of chewing on postural stability during quiet standing in healthy young males.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is an important role of the neck sensory motor system in control of body posture and balance, and it is reasonable to believe that the jaw sensory motor system can directly and indirectly influence the modulation of the postural control system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate possible effects of dynamic jaw position while chewing on the postural control system.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared the mean center of gravity (COG) velocity during quite standing on a foam surface with eyes closed during three test conditions: (i) with resting jaw position, (ii) with open jaw position, and (iii) while chewing standard bolus of chewing gum. One hundred and sixteen normal healthy male subjects (average age 31.56 ± 8.51 years; height 170.86 ± 7.26 cm) were recruited for the study. Their COG velocity (deg/s) was measured using the NeuroCom® Balance Master Version 8.5.0 (Clackamas, OR, USA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Data was tested by the Friedman test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results show that COG velocity decreased significantly while chewing in comparison to both open and resting jaw position (p < 0.0001). Our finding corroborates previous studies and suggests that the jaw sensory motor system can modulate postural control mechanisms. Gum chewing activity can enhance the postural stability during upright standing on an unstable surface and in the absence of visual input in healthy young adults. Our results should be taken into consideration in treatment and rehabilitation planning for patients with postural instability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University , Riyadh , Saudi Arabia .
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alghadir
authors.forename: Hamayun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zafar
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Whitney
authors.forename: Zaheen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Iqbal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006112:Gravitation; D006801:Humans; D007568:Jaw / Q000294:innervation; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Balance; COG velocity; chewing; postural stability