engleski

Masticatory efficiency in children with and without diagnosed deep carious lesions

Background: Deep carious lesions have a detrimental effect on the structural integrity of the tooth and can cause pain in response to mechanical stimuli during mastication. For this reason, it is expected that caries reduces masticatory function. This study aimed to compare masticatory efficiency between children with and without diagnosed deep carious lesions. Participants and methods: The study included 48 participants (24 male, 24 female) aged from 3 to 14 years. Participants were divided into two groups ; the first group included 24 children with healthy dentition, and 24 children paired by age and gender with bilateral deep carious lesions (ICDAS 4, 5 or 6) were included in the second group. Image program (NIH, LOCI, University of Wisconsin, USA) was used for the particle size analysis ; particles were obtained by chewing a standardized silicone bolus sample through 20 masticatory cycles. Results: There is a significant difference in chewed particle diameter (2.330 ± 0.754 mm vs. 5.072 ± 3.009 mm, p=0.0001, Mann-Whitney test) and surface (5.855 ± 4.041 mm2 vs. 23.675 ± 19.483 mm2, p=0.00005, Mann-Whitney test) between the two groups. Moreover, the mean chewed particle diameter of children with healthy dentition is smaller than the masticatory normative index (MNI = 4 mm) which indicates adequate mastication while children with diagnosed bilateral deep carious lesions have a mean particle diameter greater than MNI and thus have inadequate mastication. Conclusions: Children with diagnosed bilateral deep carious lesions have a decreased masticatory efficiency in comparison to children with healthy dentition, which confirms the necessary need for caries treatment in all teeth despite the dentition.

Dental Caries ; Mastication ; Particle size

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