BACKGROUND Temporomandibular disorder and mastication. AIM To compare subjects who present temporomandibular disorders to a control group considering mastication and to analyze the related variables. METHOD 20 subjects with temporomandibular disorder (TMD group) and 10 controls--selection based on clinical examination and anamnesis--responded to a questionnaire on the self-perception of pai...

Oral sensorimotor function is essential for mastication. We hypothesized that palatal coverage would disturb mastication and sensorimotor function. Masticatory efficiency, which was expressed by the declination rate of particle size, and oral stereognosis ability (OSA) were measured for 20 dentate subjects. Both measurements were first performed without an experimental palatal plate. These meas...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and level of satisfaction of patients who underwent TMJ arthrocentesis under local anesthesia by considering the following parameters: joint pain, mouth opening, mastication, and satisfaction. Fourteen patients (13 women and one man; mean age, 37.6 years with TMJ arthralgia were selected. The patients underwent arthrocentesis under local a...

There is considerable scientific and commercial interest in understanding the mechanics of mastication. In this paper, the authors develop quantitative engineering tools to enable this process by: (i) designing a general purpose mastication simulator test-bed based on parallel architecture manipulator, capable of producing the requisite motions and forces; and (ii) validating this simulator wit...

The nycterohemeral pattern of eating and ruminating behavior was examined in six heifers given ad libitum access to a corn silage-based diet with or without 100 mg monensin.hd1.d1 in a two-period crossover design. Rhythm components (no. of cycles/24 h) were characterized by the finite Fourier transform of 24-h mastication activities series measured over 7 d. Analysis of variance of the daily me...

UNLABELLED Most removable partial denture (RPD) wearers are satisfied with their prostheses, but the factors that influence satisfaction and acceptance are still not determined. OBJECTIVE This study explored technical, biological, and satisfaction variables for the functioning of RPDs after five years, and compared the evaluation by the patient and by the clinician. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fif...

The mastication is the first step in the digestion process and has as an objective prepare the food for the swallowing process and procession by the digestive system. (1-3) The masticatory sequence begins with the introduction of the food in the oral cavity, and ends with the swallowing of the bolus (2, 4, 5). Each masticatory sequence is a set of masticatory cycles, each cycle is composed by a...

The effect of food hardness during mastication on nociceptive transmission in the spinal cord was studied by analyzing complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) induced nocifensive behavior and Fos expression. The behavioral study showed that the shortening of the withdrawal latency following CFA injection into the hind paw was depressed after a change in the given food hardness from soft to hard. The d...