Materials and Method: One-hundred one elderly persons were compared forward head angle, range of motion of the temporomandibular joint, mandibular deviation, and dizziness in unilateral chewing and bilateral chewing.
Results: Unilateral chewing showed significantly more prevalent dizziness handicap (p<0.05), greater mandibular deviation (p<0.01), and smaller forward head angle (p<0.01) than bilateral chewing. Unilateral chewing was significantly correlated with age (r=0.246; p=0.13; effect size, 0.507), mandibular deviation (r=0.381; p<0.001; effect size, 0.824), FHA (r=0.360; p < 0.001; effect size, 0.771), and dizziness handicap (r=0.309; p=0.002; effect size, 0.649). Risk factors for unilateral chewing included dizziness handicap (p=0.012; odds ratio, 1.053) and mandibular deviation (p=0.001; odds ratio, 1.451).
Conclusion: The present findings that forward head posture, dizziness, and mandibular deviation are associated with unilateral chewing highlight the importance of good head posture and chewing habit with aging.
Keywords : Posture; Mastication; Dizziness; Aged; Aging