The Reliability of a New Device for Measuring the Maximum Bite Force

Abstract

Objective. To test the inter- and intraexaminer reliability of a recently developed instrument for measuring the maximum bite force (MBF). Material and Methods. Sixty patients who were clinically confirmed as having Oral Submucous Fibrosis (OSMF) and 60 healthy controls were included in this study. For each subject, age, gender, weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were recorded. The maximum bite force was recorded in alternate order with a bite force sensor (D1) and an occlusal force meter (D2). Bite force was measured in the first molar region. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and kappa statistic were applied to assess the reliability between D1 and D2 in the assessment of maximum bite force. The independent t -test was performed to find the statistical significance between the two study groups. The paired t -test was applied to find out the difference between the right and left disease in groups of two devices separately. The one-way analysis of covariance (ANOVA) was performed to find the significant difference between grades of OSMF. Results. The results of the kappa values were 0.8531 ± 0.0724 and 0.7336 ± 0.0737 for interdevice reliability in OSMF patients in right and left sides. Similar findings were obtained in right and left sides of healthy individuals ( 0.7549 ± 0.0816 and 0.9440 ± 0.0806 ) and in the total sample ( 0.8132 ± 0.0544 and 0.8303 ± 0.0538 ). Pearson’s correlation coefficient between two devices revealed a high and significant positive correlation between D1 and D2 separately and in the whole sample. Conclusion. The observations of the present study suggest that the bite force sensor can be used as a reliable device for measuring bite force.

Performance of Oral Cavity Sensors: A Systematic Review

“…One study (1/85, 1%) used two tri-axial magnetic sensors placed in the oral-cavity, a controlled magnetic field and a soft polyurethane rubber sample to measure chewing force. The root mean squared error of 1.39 N between the compression pressure tested on the rubber sample and the chewing force estimated from the magnetic sensors [ 109 ].…”

“…The error values are not directly comparable because of the variable sensor designs, testing conditions, and error calculations used. Five studies used intraclass correlation coefficient to measure the repeatability of bite force measurements using force sensing resistors (ICC = 0.93) [ 46 ], a miniature load cell (ICC = 0.719) [ 112 ], or bite forks (ICC = 0.3–0.64 for inter-observer reliability and ICC = 0.63–0.96 for intra-observer reliability) [ 47 , 48 , 109 ]. One study used Kappa analysis to calculate inter-device reliability (Kappa = 0.8132 ± 0.0544 and 0.8303 ± 0.0538) [ 109 ].…”

Edible Bite Force Sensor: A Novel Approach to Measuring Bite Force in Biomedical and Dental Applications

“…These devices utilize load cells (transducers) to convert force into electrical energy, and they can measure a wide range of forces (50-800 N), with an accuracy of 10 N and a precision of 80% [14]. Advancements in sensor technologies have paved the way for development of more sophisticated and reliable bite force sensors that provide quantitative data on the magnitude and distribution of forces during biting and enable precise evaluation and diagnosis of various orofacial conditions [6,7,[15][16][17]. The use of wireless bite force measurement devices with stress sensor systems has shown promise in diagnosing and treating occlusal diseases [6].…”