Affiliation:
1. Pediatric and Adolescent Unit, Department of Internal Medicine University of Pavia Pavia Italy
2. Pediatric Department “V. Buzzi” Children's Hospital Milan Italy
3. Department of Biomedical and Clinical Science University of Milan Milan Italy
Abstract
AbstractBackgroundMasticatory function seems to play a role in the aetiology of obesity. However, literature on the association between oral myofunctional status and overweight and obesity in children and adolescents is scarce and contrasting.ObjectiveTo compare masticatory performance, orofacial myofunctional status and tongue strength and endurance between children and adolescents with overweight and obesity and those with normal weight.MethodsThirty children and adolescents with overweight and obesity and 30 subjects with normal weight matched for age and sex were recruited. All subjects were evaluated with the Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids in Children (TOMASS‐C) for masticatory performance and with the Italian Orofacial Myofunctional Evaluation with Scores (I‐OMES) for the orofacial myofunctional status. Anterior and posterior maximum tongue pressures and tongue endurance were measured. Parents‐reported (PRO) duration of meals was recorded. Data were compared between the groups through the paired samples t‐test or the Wilcoxon signed‐rank test.ResultsChildren and adolescents with overweight showed significantly lower number of bites (p = .033), lower I‐OMES scores (p < .05), and shorter meal duration (p = .005) compared to their peers with normal weight. No significant differences were found between the two groups for the number of swallows, the number of masticatory cycles and the total time of the TOMASS‐C, and none of the tongue pressure measurements.ConclusionsEating in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity is characterised by a larger bolus sizes and shorter PRO meal duration. Additionally, overweight and obesity seem to be associated with poorer orofacial skills and structures in the paediatric population.