Oral processing of hard candy was examined to ascertain the extent of sucking and chewing. The proportion of chewing increased as the particles in the mouth are broken down into smaller ones. While the overall eating time for men and women was not significantly different, when eight-small items were present in the mouth, women chewed more at the start of the oral residence time, while chewing for men progressively increased. Individuals who reported a history of eating difficulties tended to chew less and take longer to eat eight-small items than those who had never experienced eating difficulties.
Keywords: Eating difficulties; Gender differences; Hard candy; Oral processing; Particle size and number.
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