Development of a colorimetric system for evaluation of the masticatory efficiency.

The stomatognathic system is responsible for complex vital functions such as chewing, deglutition, respiration and phonation. Food breakdown is one of the masticatory functions, which enables reducing the attrition against the oral soft tissues and increasing the surface contact of food particles with digestive secretions, thus leading to satisfactory and rapid physiological processes. The methods of evaluation the masticatory efficiency are restricted to electromyography, sieving and clinical observation. However, the validity of these methods has been questioned due to the complexity of the procedures, variances in the material used and inaccuracy of methodologies. This study presents a new method in which a capsule of a synthetic material using fuchsin-containing granules was devised. Such capsules were submitted to several laboratory tests in order to determine their resistance and absorbency. Ten calibrated individuals were instructed to chew the capsules. Masticatory efficiency was determined by analyzing fuchsin concentration in a solution obtained from chewed granules measuring the absorbance at 546 nm. The method was found to be fast, simple, reproducible, inexpensive and efficient and can be used as a complementary evaluation of the masticatory efficiency in different situations.