Bite force and its correlation with long face in children and youth

Abstract

Background: Bite force is one of the indicators of proper functioning of the stomatognathic system, and its value may have diagnostic significance in disorders of the musculoskeletal system of facial bones. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between gender and age, and bite force in patients with high­-angle vertical relationship of jaws and cranial bases.

Materials and methods: The study group comprised 66 subjects aged 7–17 years, in whom the mandibular jaw base line and maxillary jaw-base line (ML-NL) angles were greater than 27° and the mandibular jaw-baseline and the anterior cranial base line (ML-NSL) above 33°, and a control group (n = 54) aged 7–16 years, in which the ML-NL angles were 20.0 ± 7.0° and ML-NSL 28.0 ± 5.0°. For measuring the bite force, a Japanese digital dynamometer Imada type ZPS-LM­-2000N was used.

Results: In the study group no statistically significant correlation between the bite force and gender was shown, and in the control group the average bite force on the right side was significantly different for boys and girls, whereas for boys it was higher. In the study group the relationship between the age and average and maximum bite force on the right and left side was significant. In the group of people with a high-angle relationship of bases of jaws and skull no statistically significant correlation between the bite force and gender was shown.

Conclusions: The was no effect of gender on the bite force in all subjects up to 18 years of age, both in patients with a high-angle and normal relationship of bases of jaws and skull. In people with a high-angle relationship of bases of jaws and cranium masticatory forces increase with age.