Human Chewing Pattern: Prosthodontic Overview

Biting is the initial step of processing and prepare the food for swallowing so that it can be further processed in the digestive system. Chewing reduces the food bolus or food particles size, saliva moistens the nourishment and flavors are discharged. Taste and texture of the nourishment are seen and produce their effect on the chewing process. There are so many factors determining the chewing pattern. The teeth play an important role in the chewing system. They determine occlusal contact area where the food particles are ground. This fragmentation depends on the total occlusal contact area and the number of teeth present. The bite force depends on different chewing muscle volume and their coordination and muscle activity. The jaw movement and thus the neuromuscular control of chewing , plays an important role in the fragmentation of the food. The tongue and cheeks manipulation the food particles between the teeth is also important.Large differences in oral function exist among various groups of subjects, like dentulous subjects, partial and complete denture wearers, and subjects with implant-retained overdentures. Both most extreme bite force and masticatory execution are essentially lessened, when artificial teeth replace natural teeth and in patients with a neuromuscular disease .