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The evaluation of mastication is important to understand the masticatory behavior and diagnose feeding difficulties. The objective of this preliminary study was to verify if there is agreement between objective and subjective validated methods of chewing evaluation in a convenience sample which consisted of 32 adolescents (mean 15.5years), complete permanent dentition and free of tooth decay. The Quality of Masticatory Function Questionnaire with the Food-Mastication, Habits, Meat, Fruit and Vegetables domains was used in the subjective evaluation. The objective aspects consisted of maximum bite force (BF) and masticatory performance (MP) by mastication of cubes of test-material and sieving to determine the median particle size (X) and distribution in the sieves ("b"), and by the colorimetric method using colorchangeable chewing gum. Data were submitted to exploratory analysis, normality test and correlation tests (Pearson/Spearman). The correlation between BF and X (r=-0.43; p=0.02) and between BF and MP chewing gum (r=0.53; p=0.002) was significant with large effect size. The MP evaluated by chewing gum correlated with X (r=-0.34; p=0.055), but not with "b" (r=-0.06; p=0.73), while "b" correlated only with X (r=0.52, p=0.002). No significant correlation was observed between the objective measures and the total score of the subjective evaluation; only a negative correlation was observed between "b" and Meat domain (r=-0.40; p=0.023). The objective methods showed moderate correlation with each other and no agreement between the objective and subjective methods was observed in this sample of healthy adolescents, emphasizing the importance of both aspects in the evaluation of masticatory function.

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Given the high prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents, the investigation of early markers is of clinical importance to better manage this condition. Thus, the aim was to evaluate the cross-sectional relationship between salivary microbiota, gingival health status, and excess weight in adolescents. A total of 248 students (14-17 y; 119 girls) were included, free of caries lesions and periodontal pockets. Physical examination included measures of height, weight, and body fat percentage (%BF). Oral examination was performed to gather information on dental (DMFT index) and gingival health status. Unstimulated saliva was submitted to qPCR reactions to quantify Streptococcus mutans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Bifidobacteria, and Streptococcus pneumoniae percentages and the NFKappaB expression. Two-way ANOVA was applied considering group (normal-weight/overweight/obesity) and sex factors, in addition to cluster analysis. Group effect was significant for %S. mutans (partial eta 2 = 0.20; p < 0.001) and %Bifidobacteria (partial eta 2 = 0.19; p < 0.001), with overweight and obesity groups showing the highest levels compared to normal-weight ones, with no significant sex effect. There was no difference in the frequency of gingivitis, P. gingivalis, and S. pneumoniae percentages or NFKappaB expression between groups. Cluster analysis generated three clusters according to body fat accumulation: "Higher %BF," "Moderate %BF," and "Lower %BF." "Higher %BF" cluster was characterized by higher body fat percentage and higher salivary %Bifidobacteria, while cluster "Lower %BF" was characterized by lower body fat percentage and lower frequency of gingivitis ("Moderate %BF" cluster was the contrast). According to nutritional status, a difference in salivary S. mutans and Bifidobacteria percentages was found, with overweight or obesity adolescents showing the highest percentages than normal-weight ones. Besides, a positive relationship between body fat accumulation and Bifidobacteria count was observed, indicating a possible interaction between oral bacteria communities and weight gain.