Masticatory performance analysis using photographic image of gummy jelly.

Purpose: Masticatory performance can be measured through elution of glucose or beta-carotene from comminuted gummy jelly. However, these methods require special devices. Additionally, occasional/unintentional swallowing or inadequate collection of comminuted particles of gummy jelly in the oral cavity may cause measurement errors. Therefore, we devised a new photographic method to estimate the increase in surface area and weight of comminuted gummy jelly. This study aimed to verify the accuracy of this method.

Methods: Initially, fifty images depicting the comminuted pieces in a special box were prepared. Then, the increase in surface area was measured using a fully-automated method, and the weight was measured. The size and angle of each image were adjusted based on markers located at the four corners of the box. From these photographic images, the area, perimeter, color average, color deviation, side area, and amount of surface roughness for each particle was calculated, and multiple regression analysis was performed to estimate the surface area and weight. The relationship between the estimated values and the values measured with the fully-automated device and by weight were analyzed.

Results: The intra-class correlation coefficient between the estimated value and the value from the fully-automated method was r = 0.956. This high correlation was also obtained under different photographic conditions. Furthermore, for determining whether 80% or less gummy jelly was collected, the sensitivity was 100% and the specificity was 91%.

Conclusions: The newly developed photographic method is valuable because it is accessible and may assist in achieving reliable evaluation of masticatory performance.