The mechanics of the first bite

Abstract

An analysis of the action of the incisor teeth in humans is presented in terms of the fracture of food particles. It is predicted that the resistance of foods with an essentially linear elastic response to an initial bite by the incisors will depend on the square root of the product of two food properties, Young's modulus and toughness. This quantity should be approximately equal to the product of the stress at cracking during a bite, and the square root of the length of a notch or indentation from which that crack initiates. As a test of the theory, the relationship between in vivo stresses and the depth of incisal penetration, measured during bites on seven 'snack' foods by 10 subjects, and food properties established from mechanical testing, was investigated. Theory and experiment were found to be in excellent agreement. A dimensionless index of the efficiency of incision is suggested, relating fracture performance by subjects to values from a testing machine. This appears to have a high level of inter-subject discrimination with efficiencies varying about threefold. The method appears to have potential applications in dentistry, food science and studies of human and primate evolution.