Forces and moments generated at the dental incisors during forceful biting in humans

A miniature load sensor capable of measuring all forces and all moments simultaneously at a single location in space was used to assess the magnitude and direction of loads that affect the dental incisors during forceful, static biting. While prior approaches have not measured all necessary six degrees of freedom during biting, the complete set of loads is needed to serve as realistic boundary conditions for analytical or computational models of mandibular mechanics. Four subjects were asked to perform controlled and repetitive edge-to-edge incisal biting activities. Customized devices were used to rigidly hold the load sensor in place at pre-specified tooth separations of less than 1 mm. The results yielded force resultants with a magnitude range of 24.5 to 28.4 N. This range was intentionally limited in magnitude to avoid damage to the internal strain gauge assembly of the sensor. In all cases, the highest force component was oriented upwards. An additional simultaneous moment resultant (range: 8.9–17.0 N cm) with a main moment component oriented backwards and downwards towards the oral cavity was also detected. These data suggest that in order for the biting loads to be composed of six DOF, the remaining forces acting on the mandibular force system (i.e. muscular and/or articular) may indeed be non-coplanar and nonconcurrent. Although useful for static biting activities, the bulk of the sensor would probably preclude meaningful measurements during dynamic events such as chewing or swallowing.