The mechanical advantage of biting with the posterior teeth

The greater forces generated between posterior teeth compared with between anteriors, may be explained by interpreting the behaviour of the mandible as a lever system, with the condyle as a fulcrum. This study used a semi-conductor strain gauge transducer to measure load, and EMG activity to index muscular effort. A posterior and an anterior load position were compared by using parallel metal platforms which maintained the occlusal vertical dimension for different biting positions. Reductions in muscular effort were observed for the posterior position of a magnitude that was consistent with the greater mechanical advantage predicted by the level model.