Abstract：
The transition from primary to permanent dentition is an important phase in children\'s oral development, yet its impact on texture perception and food acceptance are less explored. This study aimed to investigate how changing dentition and tooth loss influence texture preferences and perception of eating difficulty among children aged 5 to 12 years. Children (n = 475) completed a forced-choice questionnaire featuring drawings of six food pairs, each available in hard or soft texture, and reported whether they had started losing primary teeth and the number of tooth gaps present. They also tasted four samples: chocolate snacks (cake and biscuits) and cheddar cheese (grated and cubes), evaluating their perceived eating difficulty and liking for each sample. Analysis of questionnaire responses showed a general preference for softer food textures among children, with a 36% probability of choosing hard foods. Preferences were not related to child\'s dental state, including primary teeth loss (p = .13) or number of tooth gaps (p = .45). In the taste test, chocolate biscuits and cheese cubes were perceived as significantly more difficult to eat than chocolate cake and grated cheese, respectively (both p < .0001). Children with more than two tooth gaps reported greater eating difficulty for chocolate biscuits and cheese cubes compared to children with fewer or no tooth gaps. This study demonstrated that children\'s texture preferences for hardness of foods remained consistent during dentition change, while their perception of eating difficulty could vary based on their dental state at specific points in time.
摘要：
从初级牙列到恒牙牙列的过渡是儿童口腔发育的一个重要阶段,然而，它对质地感知和食物接受度的影响却很少被探索。这项研究旨在调查牙列变化和牙齿脱落如何影响5至12岁儿童的质地偏好和饮食困难感。儿童（n=475）完成了一份强迫选择问卷，其中包括六个食物对的图纸，每个都有坚硬或柔软的质地，并报告他们是否开始失去乳牙和存在的齿隙数量。他们还品尝了四个样品：巧克力小吃（蛋糕和饼干）和切达干酪（磨碎和立方体），评估他们对每个样本的饮食难度和喜好。对问卷答复的分析表明，儿童普遍偏爱较软的食物质地，有36%的概率选择坚硬的食物。偏好与孩子的牙齿状态无关，包括主齿损失（p=.13）或齿间隙数（p=.45）。在味觉测试中，巧克力饼干和奶酪块被认为比巧克力蛋糕和磨碎的奶酪更难吃，分别（两者p<0.0001）。与牙齿间隙较少或没有牙齿间隙的儿童相比，具有两个以上牙齿间隙的儿童报告说，巧克力饼干和奶酪块的饮食困难更大。这项研究表明，儿童对食物硬度的质地偏好在牙列变化期间保持一致，而他们对进食困难的看法可能会根据他们在特定时间点的牙齿状态而有所不同。
