Bite-force variation related to occlusal variation in rural and urban Punjabis (North India).

Occlusal variation from defined norms was much less in traditional rural youths eating a rough unprocessed diet. Bite forces were significantly higher in the rural youths; their habitual harder chewing may help to being about their better occlusal development. Rural youths showed stronger increase with age and sex dimorphism than urban youths in bite force; thus, rurally the development of masticatory and facial structures may depend on functional masticatory demand.