Evolution of Food Oral Processing Behaviours, Food Bolus Formation and Texture Preferences Between 6 to 12 Years Old and Adult Age

Rationale:

Eating behaviour develops during childhood, shaping dietary habits that, in the long term, contribute to growth and health. The development of masticatory function during this period plays an important role in food preferences for different textures and in consumption during meals. Furthermore, chewing transforms food into a bolus for swallowing, and the physical properties of this bolus play a role in digestion and nutrient release. To date, very little data exists on bolus formation in children. The period from 6 to 12 years of age is an important period of maturation of masticatory function, during which the 20 primary teeth are gradually replaced by 28 permanent teeth. The impact of this dental transition on children's eating behavior and nutrition is currently poorly understood.

Objective:

The purposes of this study will to determine (1) how food texture preference, oral processing behaviour and food bolus properties evolve in children during the dental transition period and in comparison to adults (2) how these variables are associated with each other (3) how they are predicted from individual oral physiology (dentition, tongue strength, masticatory performance), food familiarity and parent-reported appetitive traits parameters.

Study design :

Ninety children (n=30 per theoretical stage of mixed dentition (first transitional stage: 6-8 years, inter-transitional stage: 8-10 years, and second transitional stage: 10-12 years)) and 30 adults (25-35 years) will be recruited . Their dentition and oral abilities (tongue strength and masticatory performance) will be characterized. Their oral processing behaviour (duration, number of chews and Oro-sensory exposure time) while consuming different foods (standard pieces of carrot, rice, cheese and biscuit) will be studied using video recordings. Food boluses will then be collected at the time of corresponding to swallowing (swallowing threshold) and characterized for their particles size and number, saliva uptake, and hardness. Texture preferences of all participants, as well as familiarity with the studied foods and the children's appetitive traits will be characterized using questionnaires.

Study population: Healthy children aged 6-8 (n=30), 8-9 (n=30), 10-12 (n=30) years old and 30 adults aged 25-35 years old. Exclusion criteria : dental and orthodontic treatment ongoing

• Number of Posterior Functional Unit (PFU) [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only]
• Number of teeth [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only]
• Dental transition stage [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only)]
• Tongue strength (kPa) [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only]
• Masticatory performance (index) [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only)]
• BMIz [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only)]
• Food frequency consumption (child report) [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only)]
• Food frequency consumption (parental report) [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only)]
• Food familiarity [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only)]
• Food chewing difficulty [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only)]
• Food texture preferences [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only)]
• Children chewing abilities [Time frame: Baseline (single timepoint only)]