The effects of dental condition on hand strength and maximum bite force.

Piezoelectric force transducer and hand dynamometer were used for measuring the maximum bite force and hand grasp force on 2034 primary, middle, and high school students. Dental condition and body weight and height were also observed to relate to the force measurements. It was discovered that both forces increased relative to the increase of age, body weight, and body height. Boys had stronger bite force than girls at all age groups, while the grasp force of boys became significantly stronger only after the age of 13. Students who had dentition with decay and missing teeth tended to have weaker bite force, while hand force was not influenced. Bite force does not seem parallel to hand strength and is, instead, related to dental condition.