Influence of Gender on the Masticatory Efficiency of Individuals With and Without Dentofacial Deformities

Picinato-Pirola, Melissa

Influence of Gender on the Masticatory Efficiency of Individuals With and Without Dentofacial Deformities

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Melissa Picinato-Pirola , Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil., Ribeirão Preto- SP, Brazil

Wilson Mestriner- Junior , Department of Clinical Pediatrics, Preventive and Social Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil., Ribeirão Preto - SP, Brazil

Francisco Mello-FIlho , Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil., Ribeirão Preto SP, Brazil

Luciana Trawitzki , Department of Ophthalmology, Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil., Ribeirão Preto - SP, Brazil

Dentofacial deformities are severe occlusal changes that impair masticatory efficiency¹. The literature states that adult men with no malocclusion have a better masticatory efficiency than women². The objective of the present study was to determine whether gender influences the masticatory efficiency of individuals with dentofacial deformity. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institution involved. The investigation was conducted on 30 healthy volunteers (CG), 12 men and 18 women (mean age: 24 years) with no changes in face morphology or dental occlusion, with no missing teeth except for the third molars, and with no signs or symptoms of temporomandibular joint dysfunction. The group with deformity (DG) consisted of 22 individuals with a diagnosis of class II dentofacial deformity (DG-II), 7 men and 15 women (mean age: 26 years) and 22 individuals with a diagnosis of class III dentofacial deformity (DG-III), 12 men and 10 women (mean age: 24 years), all with an indication of orthognathic surgery. Masticatory efficiency was analyzed by the colorimetric method with beads, i.e., for each bead chewed a value of fuchsin concentration (µg/ml) was obtained. Each individual chewed one bead at a time for 20 seconds timed, with a 3 minute interval between mastications, with two beads being chewed habitually, one on the right side and the other on the left side, for a total of 4 beads. DG was evaluated at 2 time points: before and 6 months after orthognathic surgery; and CG was evaluated only once. Data were analyzed statistically by a mixed effects linear regression model (random and fixed effects), with the level of significance set at p<0.05. Gender influenced masticatory efficiency in CG, with men being more efficient for all chewing tasks tested, but did not influence it in DG-II or DG-III before or after surgery.

*Sources of support: FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo).

1- Picinato-Pirola MN, Mestriner W Jr, Freitas O, Mello-Filho FV, Trawitzki LV. Masticatory efficiency in class II and class III dentofacial deformities. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg.2012;41(7):830-4.

2- Sierpinska T, Golebiewska M, Lapuc M. The effect of mastication on occlusal parameters in healthy volunteers. Adv Med Sci. 2008;53(2):316-20.