PURPOSE: to elaborate a protocol for the clinical evaluation of the masticatory function, aiming at aiding the speech pathologist to identify and interpret the clinical signals of the masticatory disorders, in its dynamics, in addition to allowing for inter-judge comparison and treatment continuation. METHODS: this protocol was elaborated based on the clinical practice of the speech pathologists that answered to a questionnaire sent by email; in the literature, according to the identification of the common points to all chewing evaluation protocols; in addition to the experience of the speech pathologists of HRAC/USP. RESULTS: the protocol for the clinical chewing evaluation considers aspects related to morphologic aspects and neurophysiology of the masticatory function. Conclusion: this study contributes to Speech Pathology, once that it searches, in the most possible complete manner, criteria for evaluating the chewing, guiding the clinical speech-language performance based on evidences.
Evaluation; Mastication; Etomatognatic System
