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Head Movements during Chewing: Relation to Size and Texture of Bolus

¹ Department of Odontology, Clinical Oral Physiology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden; and
² Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Gävle University, Sweden;

^* corresponding author, per-olof.eriksson{at}odont.umu.se

Coordinated mandibular and head-neck movements during jaw opening-closing activities suggest a close functional linkage between the jaw and the neck regions. The present study investigated whether size and texture of bolus can influence head-neck behavior during chewing. Using an optoelectronic 3-D recording technique, we analyzed concomitant mandibular and head-neck movements in 12 healthy adults chewing small (3 g) and large (9 g) boluses of chewing gum and Optosil^®. The main finding was a head extension during chewing, the amount of which was related mainly to bolus size. Furthermore, each chewing cycle was accompanied not only by mandibular movements, but also by head extension-flexion movements. Larger head movement amplitudes were correlated with larger size and, to some extent, also with harder texture of the bolus. The results suggest that head-neck behavior during chewing is modulated in response to changes in jaw sensory-motor input.

KEY WORDS: bolus • chewing • head • neck • jaw

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