Bite force and oral function in patients with osseointegrated oral implants.

The function of the masticatory system was analyzed in 19 patients (13 women and 6 men), aged 39 to 68, randomly selected from a group of 165 patients who had been treated with osseointegrated oral implants within the last 7 years (average 3.5 years). The patients were well satisfied with the functional capacity of their implant reconstructions, especially compared with the poor function before treatment. According to the clinical examination, all but one patient had no or only mild symptoms of dysfunction of the masticatory system. Three bite-force levels were recorded. The mean value for gentle biting was 15.7 N, for biting as when chewing 50.1 N, AND FOR MAXIMAL BITING 144.4 N. The patients could thus well discriminate between the different bite-force levels, and the maximal values are much higher than those in persons with removable dentures.