Abstract

Chewing is a rhythmic, conditioned and learned motor function that is altered in young adults in the presence of orofacial pain and temporomandibular joint disorder. Characterizing how young adults without orofacial myofunctional disorder complaints chew is essential for speech pathologist specialists working in orofacial motricity to properly assessment patients. The main aim of this study is to describe and compare masticatory function in young adults of both genders without orofacial complaints. A total of38 adults we enrolled in two groups: G1, 19 men (age of 25.05 ± 4.45 years) and G2, 19 women (age of 25.21 ± 3.98 years). All subjects had a minimum of 24 permanent teeth and had no complaints or antecedents of orofacial myofunctional disorders. Masticatory function, self-perception of symptoms associated with temporomandibular joint disorders, quality of life related to oral health, mandibular mobility and functional nasal permeability were evaluated. The results showed that the chewing food process in both groups was characterized by an anterior incision, an efficient and posterior trituration, and a systematic labial closure. A bilateral alternating masticatory pattern was observed to be the most frequent for both men and women (94.8% and 73.8% respectively) The number of masticatory cycles per serving was 12.53 for men and 14.95 for women, with an average masticatory time of 9.7 and 12.17 s, respectively. Groups significantly differed in the masticatory time, the amplitude of movements of maximum active interincisal distance and the mandibular laterality to the right. In conclusion. the masticatory function in young Chilean adults of both genders without orofacial myofunctional disorder complaints is characterized by an anterior incision, an efficient and posterior trituration, an alternate bilateral masticatory pattern and a systematic labial closure.