A determination of bite force in northern Japanese children

Abstract

The bite force of 2594 school children (1248 males and 1346 females) living in northern Japan was investigated during oral health examinations in May and June 2001, using a new type of occlusal force gauge. The subjects were recruited from a variety of educational institutes and comprised: 73 nursery (3-5 years old), 1019 primary (6-11 years old), 902 junior high (12-14 years old) and 600 high (15-17 years old) school children. The measuring apparatus consisted of a hydraulic pressure gauge, with a bite element encased in a plastic tube. The bite force was measured at the first molar or second primary molar in the children presenting in the permanent and primary dentitions, respectively. The findings revealed significant variations in bite force between children of different ages. The average bite force was 186.2 N in males and 203.4 N in females of nursery school children; 374.4 N in males and 330.5 N in females of primary school children; 514.9 N in males and 448.7 N in females of junior high school children; and 545.3 N in males and 395.2 N in females of high school children. The prevalence of malocclusion in the nursery school children was found to be less than 30 per cent, which contrasted with almost 70 per cent in the high school children.

Avaliação do dimorfismo sexual e da relação entre as características craniofaciais, dos arcos dentários e do músculo masseter na fase de dentição mista

“…When data for face width were compared between boys and girls using the comparison of means, the present study showed that face width was larger in boys than in girls in young subjects with mixed dentition. This finding corroborates studies in young children, in which the authors observed that sexual differences in craniofacial morphology become significant after eight years of age [9][10][11] . The other craniofacial measurements, maxillary, mandibular and nasal widths, did not differ significantly between genders.…”

“…In the mandible, the internal and external reliefs are shaper and have a less obtuse gonial angle. However, previous studies have reported that in children, differences in craniofacial morphology between boys and girls become significant after eight years of age [9][10][11] .…”

Masticatory performance and bite force in children with primary dentition

“…No statistical difference were observed in maximal bite force with different kinds of occlusion in the primary dentition, 12,23 whereas the occlusal conditions in this phase had an influence on masticatory performance. 7 In older children and adolescents, bite force was not correlated with the Angle classification, 21,24,25,27 but correlated with maxillary protrusion, anterior crossbite, crowding and open bite, 12 suggesting that the quality of occlusion determines masticatory performance to a greater degree than the level of force that the subjects are willing to generate. The influence of any discrepancy in bite force can become apparent during eruption and establishment of the permanent dentition.…”

Análise da força de mordida nos diferentes tipos de maloclusões dentárias, segundo Angle

“…Thus, the relationships between bite force and the type of dental occlusion have been studied for some time, without a present consensus in literature.Many studies justify that muscles, as well as teeth play an important role in the direction of the course of bite force and that muscle anatomy may both cause and reflect mandible movements and, thus the relative importance of the components of bite force may be associated to the different muscle anatomy of each one 4 .In addition, maximum bite force increases with the number of teeth that are present and the association between maximum bite force and the amount of occlusal contacts is more relevant in the posterior region and, as a consequence, the loss of molars, for instance, would result in a reduction of bite force 7 .There are studies that have found statistically significant differences between force measurements and the different types of occlusion, measured directly -using a force transducer -, with the smallest force having been found in individuals with malocclusion 7,8 .Studies conducted with prognathous patients before and after orthognathic surgery, measuring force in this same way, have shown that the parameters of bite force improve after surgery, although none reached the values of individuals with normal occlusion [9][10][11][12][13] .…”