Purpose: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of capsules containing fuchsin-based beads for evaluating masticatory performance.

Materials and methods: A total of 60 healthy subjects (mean ± SD age: 41.0 ± 13.2 years) were categorized according to number of occlusal pairs (n = 15 per group) as follows: 16-14 (control group); 13-10; 9-6; and 5-1. The subjects chewed the capsules to assess masticatory performance, which was defined as the concentration of fuchsin released and measured using ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry. The subjects also comminuted silicone cubes, and median size was calculated via the sieving method. The test foods were compared using analysis of variance, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and Bland-Altman analysis.

Results: The control group presented the highest masticatory performance for chewing the capsules (P < .05), except when compared to the 13-10 occlusal pairs group (P = .667). There was no difference between the partial edentulism groups (P > .05). An acceptable area under the ROC curve of 0.744 was observed, with 73.33% sensitivity and 70.00% specificity. The control group also showed the best results for chewing the cubes (P < .01); however, the 9-6 and 5-1 groups were equivalent (P = .133). An excellent area under the ROC curve of 0.887 was found, with 80.00% sensitivity and specificity. The bias between the capacity of both test foods to recognize subjects with < 10 occlusal pairs was -3.56%.

Conclusion: Capsules containing fuchsin-based beads were viable for evaluating masticatory performance, as they showed sufficient sensitivity and specificity for characterizing subjects presenting with < 10 occlusal pairs.