Bite force and state of dentition.

The maximal bite force and the strength of the finger-thumb grip of 125 Skolt Lapps, aged 15 to 65, was measured with a specially devised apparatus. The bite force was measured with the biting fork placed between the first molars and between the incisors, respectively. The finger-thumb grip was measured by letting the subject press the prongs of the fork between the thumb and forefinger of each hand as hard as possible. The range of inter-individual variation of the maximal bite force and finger-thumb grip was great. The mean values were higher for the males than for the females. In the males the maximal bite force thus measured in the molar region was 39 kg (382 N) and 18 kg (176 N) in the incisor region. The corresponding values for the females were 22 kg (216 N) and 11 kg (108 N). The finger-thumb grip strength for males was, on the average, 10 kg (98 N); that of the females, 7 KG (69 N). The average difference in bite force between the men and the women was larger in the group with natural teeth than in the one with complete dentures. The values found for the bite force decreased with increasing age, especially for the females. Most of this reduction with increasing age was probably due to the age-dependent deterioration of the dentition. In both sexes the bite force was notably smaller among the denture wearers than among the dentate persons. The number of natural teeth varied closely with the bite force, i.e. the greater number of natural teeth the greater the bite force.