Journal of Dental Research, Vol 66, 1547-1550, Copyright © 1987 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Measurement of selection changes and breakage functions during chewing in man
H. W. Van der Glas, A. Van der Bilt, L. W. Olthoff and F. Bosman
Food comminution in man was studied in terms of intra-oral selection and
breakage processes, with a silicone rubber used as test food, aided by a
sieving procedure and simultaneous form- and color-labeling of particles.
The subjects chewed on mixtures of particles with a specific form (either
cubes or half-cubes). In addition, seven particle sizes, within a range of
1.2 to 8.0 mm, each had a specific color. Damaged cubes or half-cubes
revealed their chance of being selected for breakage. The color of the
fragments indicated their original size, and thus the breakage distribution
of selected particles. The selection chance increased as a power function
of particle size. The degree of fragmentation was, in general, maximal for
a particle size of about 4 mm. Our double-labeling technique permits a
detailed unraveling of anatomical and physiological variables in the
chewing process.
