A standardized programme for studying the occlusal force pattern during chewing and biting in prosthetically restored dentitions.

A recently described method for studying occlusal forces in prosthetically restored dentitions (Lundgren & Laurell, 1984) was applied in a standardized programme to elucidate the occlusal force pattern and the functional capability of a dentition during chewing and biting. The method is based on the use of strain gauge transducers mounted into preformed matrices evenly distributed over the tooth-arch. The programme was tested in a subject prosthetically restored with a fixed bridge of cross-arch design in the upper jaw, and with unsplinted teeth in the lower jaw. It involved chewing of (a) peanuts, (b) roast beef with potato salad, biting with maximal strength in habitual occlusion and biting over one limited contact area at a time. The magnitude of the occlusal forces developed during chewing and swallowing was well below all biting forces. The magnitude of the total force acting over the entire dentition when biting at maximal strength in habitual occlusion did not seem to be limited by reactions from the teeth or the periodontal tissues but, seemingly, by the capability of the jaw-closing muscles themselves. The magnitude of the local bite force over one limited contact area at a time was much smaller than that which the jaw-closing muscles were able to develop. This indicated that feedback mechanisms in the periodontal tissues and/or the temporo-mandibular joints were limiting factors for these forces. The programme will be applied to studies of dentitions supplied with prosthetic constructions of various design and with different distribution of periodontal support.