Chewing Affects Structural and Material Coupling, and Age-Related Dentoalveolar Joint Biomechanics and Strain.

ABSTRACT: Understanding how primary structural features and secondary material properties adapt to functional loads is essential to determining their effect on changes in joint biomechanics over time. The objective of this study was to map and correlate spatiotemporal changes in primary structural features, secondary material properties, and dentoalveolar joint (DAJ) stiffness with age in rats subjected to prolonged chewing of soft foods versus hard foods. To probe how loading history shapes the balance between the primary and secondary features, four-week-old rats were fed either a hard-food (HF, N = 25) or soft-food (SF, N = 25) diet for 4, 12, 16, and 20 weeks, and functional imaging of intact mandibular DAJs was performed at 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks. Across this time course, the primary struc

SUBMITTER: Ci H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12838062 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature