Load during mastication is an important factor for the development and maintenance of mechano- receptor properties. The purpose of this study was to examine property changes in the rat TMJ mechano-receptors under conditions of liquid diet feeding and low articular load during the growth period. The hypothesis was that alterations in mastication of liquid diet might increase TMJ mechano-receptor...

There is a large variability between and among individuals in the physiology of mastication, but it is not known whether this produces a similar variability in the particle sizes of food boluses at the end of the chewing process. Food boluses obtained just before swallowing were analyzed in ten subjects (aged 36.7 +/- 9.5 yrs) with normal dentition. Food samples of 3 nuts (peanut, almond, pista...

PATIENT The patient was a 50-year-old woman who complained of left temporomandibular joint pain during mastication and wide mouth opening. The diagnosis of this patient was bilateral osteoarthritis in temporomandibular joint; therefore maxillary full-arch stabilization appliance (SA) was delivered. In response, the TMD signs and symptoms were alleviated. However she subsequently complained of d...

The mouse mylohyoid muscle belongs to the mastication-related suprahyoid muscle group. It shows a plate-like morphology and forms the mouth floor. There have been no reports on the characteristics of the mouse mylohyoid muscle fibers, and especially on their functional role during ingestion action, and many points remain unclear. We examined the mouse mylohyoid muscle at both the transcriptiona...

INTRODUCTION  The prevalence of asthma has grown considerably in recent decades, but some studies have shown stabilization of this trend. The masticatory process of asthmatic children may be altered due to asthma-related anatomo-functional changes. OBJECTIVE  The study objective was to determine the clinical and electromyographic characteristics of the masticatory process in asthmatic childre...

This paper provides the ®rst account of merycism in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), and in doing so, potentially sheds new light on the occurrence and signi®cance of this behaviour in other herbivorous marsupials. Koalas ®tted with acoustically sensitive transmitters, to monitor mastication and ingestive behaviour, were also found to make bouts of rhythmic `mastication-like' noises that were n...

The control and regulation of mastication and other basic oral activities require integration by brain stem cranial nerve nuclei of reflex inputs and commands from other central nervous system nuclei. A current conceptual model for understanding control of rhythmic oral motor activity postulates the existence of a central pattern generator, which produces the sequence of movements common to man...