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Physiological aspects of the development of mastication in early childhood (LB63)
Author(s) -
Edelson Lisa,
Le Révérend Benjamin,
Alder Marc,
Loret Chrystel
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.lb63
Subject(s) - mastication , swallowing , motor skill , psychology , developmental psychology , medicine , dentistry
The development of feeding skills is a complex process influenced by four main factors: (1) Anatomy, (2) Neurophysiology, (3) Environment, (4) Society and culture. Feeding skills are therefore investigated by two fields of science: the behavioral science of feeding and the biomechanics of feeding (e.g. chewing and swallowing), with a particular emphasis on the first approach. Food intended to be fed to infants and toddlers are currently recommended based on motor and eating skills described by Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) and feeding specialists. The biomechanical characterization of mastication and its development has been less addressed, even though it could bring a new insight in the design of developmentally appropriate food. In this work, we focus on the development of mastication in infants and toddlers. We aim to describe changes in the oral physiology (e.g. bone and muscle structure, teeth and soft tissues) of infants and toddlers, and its relationship to mastication abilities. Finally, we reviewed previous works on the effect of the food consistency on children’s mastication abilities and on their level of texture acceptance. Recommending products that are adapted to children’s mastication during weaning could facilitate their acceptance of new textures and support the development of healthy eating habits.