mastication (redirected from physiology of mastication)

mastication /mas·ti·ca·tion/ (mas″tĭ-ka´shun) chewing; the biting and grinding of food.

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mastication

[mas′tikā′shən]

Etymology: L, masticare, to chew

chewing, tearing, or grinding food with the teeth while it becomes mixed with saliva. See also bolus, digestion, ptyalin.

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mastication

(mas´tikā´shn),
n 1. the process of chewing food in preparation for swallowing and digestion.
n 2. the act of chewing accomplished by the coordinated activity of the tongue, mandible, mandibular musculature, and structural components of the temporomandibular joints, and controlled by the neuromuscular mechanism. See also chewing.

mastication, components of,

n.pl the various jaw movements made during the act of mastication as determined by the neuromuscular system, temporomandibular articulations, teeth, and food being chewed. For purposes of analysis or description, the components of mastication may be categorized as opening, closing, left lateral, right lateral, or anteroposterior jaw movements.

mastication, forces of,

n.pl See force, masticatory.

mastication, insufficiency of,

n an inefficiency or inadequacy of the chewing act.

mastication, organ of,

n See system, stomatognathic.

mastication, physiology of,

n the movements of the mandible during the chewing cycle, which are controlled by neuromuscular action and are correlated with the structural attributes of the temporomandibular joints and the proprioceptive sense of the periodontal ligament. There are three phases in the physiology of mastication: the incision of food, the mastication of the bolus, and the act of swallowing. Accessory activity by the tongue and facial musculature facilitates the masticatory actions.

mastication, saliva in,

n an increase in salivation, which serves to wet and lubricate the food to facilitate deglutition.

mastication, tongue in,

n the muscular organ in the floor of the oral cavity whose function in the masticatory process consists of crushing some food by pressing it against the hard palate, forming it into a compact bolus, and assisting in placing it on the occlusal platform for tooth action.

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mastication

the act of chewing. Abnormalities of this function commonly occur and often have diagnostic significance. Painful teeth may cause slow, intermittent or one-sided eating. Dropping of the food from the mouth during eating may have a similar cause. Periodic stopping eating for long periods when there is food in the mouth is a common sign in encephalitis and encephalopathy. See also cud dropping, quidding, tobacco-chewers.