This pediatric study aimed to assess the masticatory function of patients with anterior open bite through a method that utilizes colorimetric capsules. The sample consisted of 106 patients aged 7-11 years, of whom 51 presented with anterior open bite (experimental group) and 55 presented with normal overbite (control group). The colorimetric capsules used in this evaluation contained basic fuchsin granules, which were used to produce a solution after they were ground during chewing. Each patient was asked to chew 1 capsule for 20 seconds. The absorbance of the obtained solutions was analyzed with a spectrophotometer. Greater masticatory efficiency is directly related to the greater light absorbance of a solution, since light absorbance increases with solution concentration. A nonparametric Wilcoxon test indicated that the solutions obtained from the control group presented significantly greater light absorbance than did those from the experimental group (P < 0.05). Therefore, children with an anterior open bite exhibited less masticatory efficiency than those with a normal overbite.
Keywords: anterior open bite; colorimetric capsules; malocclusion; masticatory function; spectrophotometry.