The effect of periodontal bone loss on bite force discrimination

This study compared bite force discrimination between 14 treated periodontal patients with significant bone resorption and 14 control subjects who were free of periodontal disease. Bite force was measured using a strain gauge scale which permitted subjects to visually monitor when their bite force equaled a preset resistance. A bite force of 500 gm was selected as the standard. Subjects were presented with a series of paired resistance settings, one at a time, the first of each pair being the standard and the second being the comparator setting of some predetermined different amount. This procedure was continued until the subject's difference limen (DL) value, the threshold of discrimination between two bite forces, was established. The periodontal patients required an average of 334 additional grams of resistance over the standard before they could detect a difference, whereas the control subjects required only 201 additional grams. These group means were significantly different (P less than 0.01). The results of this study suggest that the periodontal ligament provides sensory feedback relative to bite force discrimination.