Relationship between oral status and maximum bite force in preschool children

After widespread oral health education and increased use of fluoride mouth rinses among the younger population, the incidence of tooth decay in children in Taiwan decreased.1 However, this drop still lags behind targets set by the World Health Organization. It is known that poor oral health can lead to severe tooth decay and early loss of teeth, which can then lead to crowded teeth and malocclusion. A previous study2 showed that if children have good mastication ability, food is more easily digested. Nutrition is important to the growth and development of children, and digestion affects nutrition. People will choose soft food if they cannot chew effectively, eventually causing malnutrition and insufficient fiber, mineral and vitamin intake. One study3 showed that 56% of such patients have digestive problems. Masticating malfunction can also lead to other diseases caused by malnutrition.4 Investigators5,6 have suggested that maximum bite force is affected by the masticatory system, and it is generally accepted that a better masticatory system results in a stronger bite force. Oral status can affect mastication. Severely decayed and missing teeth are detrimental to mastication Background/purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine correlations between maximum bite force and several variables, including age, sex, body height, body weight, caries index, occlusal pattern, vertical occlusal relationship, number of teeth in contact and maximum mouth opening, among healthy 4−6-year-old preschool children. Materials and methods: A total of 201 preschool children aged 4−6 years were selected from two kindergartens. The collected data included the oral checking and bite force measuring records. Whole oral records and measurements of bite force were taken and analyzed. Results: Growth variables, such as height and weight, correlated with sex and bite force. Although there was no significant difference in bite force among the three age levels (4, 5 and 6 years old), there were significant differences in growth variables. Oral status variables, such as the number of maxillary posterior teeth in contact and maximum mouth opening, showed significant positive correlations with bite force. Conclusion: By combining the results of this study, it was concluded that associations of bite force with factors like age, maximum mouth opening and the number of teeth in contact were clearer than for other variables such as body height, body weight, occlusal pattern, and tooth decay or fillings. Received: Dec 10, 2008 Accepted: Feb 2, 2009