Final answer:
Mastication serves to break down food, mix it with saliva, and provide antibacterial protection by deploying immunoglobulins and lysozymes present in saliva, which reduce the risk of infections.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purposes of mastication are to break food down into smaller pieces, to mix food with saliva, and to facilitate an immune reaction within the oral cavity.
During the process of mastication, the teeth and jaw mechanically chew the food, and saliva from the salivary glands moistens the food and initiates both mechanical and chemical digestion. The tongue plays a crucial role in this process by physically moving the food to the pharynx, and from there, peristalsis moves the food into the stomach. Additionally, saliva contains immunoglobulins and lysozymes, providing antibacterial protection by reducing tooth decay by inhibiting the growth of some bacteria.
So, in addition to breaking down food and mixing it with saliva, the purpose of mastication is to provide antibacterial protection, which helps reduce the risk of infections by eliminating certain microbes from the oral cavity.