The Reliability of a New Device for Measuring the Maximum Bite Force

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Dental Research
• Oral Medicine

Background:

• Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) is a potentially malignant disorder characterized by reduced mouth opening and impaired masticatory function.
• Accurate measurement of maximum bite force (MBF) is crucial for assessing the severity of OSMF and monitoring treatment efficacy.
• Existing methods for bite force measurement may have limitations in terms of reliability and ease of use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the inter- and intra-examiner reliability of a novel bite force sensor for measuring maximum bite force (MBF).
• To compare the reliability of the new sensor with an existing occlusal force meter.
• To assess the utility of the bite force sensor in patients with Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Sixty patients with confirmed OSMF and 60 healthy controls were enrolled.
• Maximum bite force was measured using a new bite force sensor (D1) and an occlusal force meter (D2) in the first molar region.
• Inter- and intra-examiner reliability were assessed using kappa statistics and Pearson's correlation coefficient.

Main Results:

• The bite force sensor (D1) demonstrated high interdevice reliability with kappa values ranging from 0.7336 to 0.9440 across different groups (OSMF patients, healthy individuals, total sample).
• Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed a significant positive correlation between the new sensor (D1) and the occlusal force meter (D2).
• The device showed good reliability for measuring maximum bite force in both OSMF patients and healthy controls.

Conclusions:

• The newly developed bite force sensor exhibits excellent reliability for measuring maximum bite force.
• This instrument is a dependable tool for both clinical assessment and research purposes in dentistry and oral medicine.
• The findings support the use of this bite force sensor as a reliable device for bite force measurement.