[Masticatory training with chewing gum on young children].

Mastication is a developmental function. It matures through learning experiences. The biting force is one of the components of masticatory function. The biting force increases with age. During the developmental stage, it is believed feasible to enhance the maturation of the masticatory function by increasing the biting force. The previous results of masticatory training for adults and school children had revealed 20% to 30% increase of the biting force. In this study, masticatory training with specially fabricated chewing gum for young (preschool) children was performed. The subjects were 5 males and 5 females from 3 years old to 5 years old. These children were instructed to bite on the chewing gum for 5 minutes, 2 times a day, for 3 months. The results show that there was a 94% average increase of biting force after 3 months of training. It was also noted that the rate of the increase of the biting force was remarkable during the first month of training.