Occlusal perception and bite force in young subjects with and without dental fillings

Abstract

Interocclusal thickness discrimination (occlusal perception) and bite force was investigated in 29 young adults (16-18 years old). Thirteen individuals had intact dentitions (group I), whereas 16 individuals had minor restorations in posterior teeth (group C). Bite force was tested during ‘gentle biting’, ‘biting as when chewing’, and ‘maximal clenching’. Endurance tests and bite force discrimination tests were also performed. The best occlusal perception was found in the incisor region in both groups, whereas the occlusal perception was somewhat smaller in the canine and premolar regions. Fifty-four per cent of the subjects in group I and 81% in group C reached certain perceptiveness at the 9-μm level. There were no statistically significant differences between test locations or groups, however. Group I had a significantly greater bite force in the incisor region during gentle biting than group C. The maximal bite force was on an average 532 N in group I and 516 N in group C. In the endurance tests, group I could withstand the muscle fatigue longer than group C, but the difference was not statistically significant. In the bite force discrimination test both groups showed a similar pattern. Group I showed a closer correlation than group C between recordings in a test of stepwise increase of force and a randomized test of five force levels. Both groups appeared functionally normal in the masticatory system and reacted similarly in the physiologic experiments. However, considering the low age of the subjects in this study, the small samples, and the fact that the subjects in group C had few and usually only small fillings in the posterior teeth, the differences found in this study were discussed in relation to the hypothesis that dental filling therapy may disturb the masticatory system. The findings gave some support for such a hypothesis but more studies on larger materials with more restored teeth would be necessary to achieve more conclusive results. Bite force; dental fillings; mandibular dysfunction; tooth physiology