Effects of food properties and aging on external auditory canal movements associated with mastication

Abstract

Abstract Few objective evaluations of external auditory canal movement during mastication have been conducted. This study investigated the extent to which age and physical properties influence such movement. The effects of food properties and aging on ear canal movement during mastication were investigated using an earable reliable chewing-count measurement device. We used such a device to study the effects of food properties and aging on ear canal movement associated with mastication. The ear canal moved more when younger (compared to older) subjects chewed hard rather than soft food. In general, the ear canal tended to move more in younger than in older subjects, but the difference was not significant. We suggest that external auditory canal movement during mastication decreases as muscle function declines with aging, but any effect may be less than that exerted by food properties.