Maximum Bite Force among Iraqi Primary School Children in Mixed dentition Medhat Athraa Hussein1, Haidar Aseel Haidar M J Al2 1Masters Student, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, Iraq 2Assistant Professor, Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad, Iraq Online published on 8 March, 2019. Abstract Background Biting force and the number of occluded teeth can be considered as important determinants of the masticatory performance. Meanwhile, bite force is the result of the coordination between the different components of the masticatory system (muscles, bones and teeth). Its determination had been considered as an important parameter in the diagnosis of the stomatognathic disorders. Objective The present study was performed to determine the maximum bite force (MBF) among a group of Iraqi primary school children in relation to a number of variables including, age, gender and nutritional status. Materials and Method A cross sectional study was carried out among 400 children (205 boys and 195 girls) aged 8–10 years. Maximum bite force was determined by using bite force sensor and the body mass index was recorded in kg/m2. The data were statistically analyzed by descriptive statistics and by using paired t-test and Chi-squared test. Results Boys had higher values of maximum biting force than the girls in both age groups, however, a significant difference between genders was found only in the age group 2. Nutritional status variables represented by BMI index were related significantly with bite force. Conclusion Bite force was affected by factors like age, gender and BMI. Top Keywords Maximum bite force, Erupted permanent teeth, body mass index, primary school children, bite force sensor. Top |