以精簡 之篩網法評估咀嚼效率

Abstract

The assessment of masticatory efficiency may be quantified by the particle size distribution of comminuted food. The aim of the present study was to simplify the sieving method and develop a simple and reiable model for future studies. Eighteen volunteers, 9 males and 9 females, with complete and natural dentition and free of temporomandibular disorders participated. The age of the volunteers ranged from 22 year-old to 26 year -old. Three partial or complete denture wearers were also examined for reference. The testfood used was a whole alomnd piece. The unilateral chewing test, performed by each subject, consisted of chewing on their right and left dentition separately for five times. At each trial, one almond piece was chewed 10 times. The comminuted food particles was expectorated and washed out in a beaker. The contents were then sieved in a stack of sieves with 2.0 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.0 mm and 0.5 mm apertures. After drying, the percentage of the food particles by weight that remained on each sieve was calculated. The expression of masticatory efficiency influenced by the parameters such as gender, apertures of the sieve and chewing side in addition to the interaction among them were observed by means of the generalized estimation equation (GEE), and the difference between subjects with natural and artificial dentition were also compared. It was found that no significant differences between gender, the four different sieves and chewing side and their interaction existed. The ability of the denture wearers to diminish an almond into particles less than 2.0 mm in diameter was about 60% that of subjects with natural dentition. Based on the results of the limited sample size, the difference in gender and chewing side can be neglected. Due to the less amount of comminuted food particles that remained on the 1.4 mm sieve, the stack of sieves with 2.0 mm, 1.0 mm and 0.5 mm apertures seemed to be sufficient for and effective experimental design for the evaluation of masticatory efficiency, and the 2.0 mm sieve possessed the strongest power of explanation for chewing efficiency among them