Digital occlusal analysis of bite force distribution in partially edentulous patients before and after prosthetic rehabilitation: An in vivo study

Background: The measurement of bite force can provide useful data for the evaluation of jaw muscle function and activity. Technological advances in signal detection and processing have improved the quality of the information extracted from bite force measurements. Aim: The current study aimed to evaluate the percentage of bite force distribution before rehabilitating in partially edentulous patients rehabilitated with removable partial dentures (RPDs) and fixed partial dentures (FPDs) and change in the force after equilibration. Materials and Methods: 15 patients with partially edentulous ridges (Kennedy class III) along with missing mandibular first molars who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected. Bite force distribution was evaluated with an intraoral sensor and Tek-scan equipment preoperatively, postoperatively after the fabrication of removable prosthesis, after the fabrication of fixed prosthesis and after equilibration. The results were tabulated and statistically analyzed using student paired t-test and ANOVA. Results: The net bite force distribution in the edentulous sextant preoperatively was 36.32 ± 5.98, postreplacement of the tooth with a removable replacement as 42.56 ± 3.37 and fixed replacement was 46.96 ± 2.86. On the contralateral sextant, the bite force distribution measured preoperatively was 63.68 ± 5.98, after a removable prosthesis was 57.44 ± 3.37, after FPD was 53.04 ± 2.86, and post equilibration was 51.15 ± 1.73. Conclusion: The bite force distribution produced by a FPD was more evenly distributed than the force produced by a RPD. The findings of the current study prove the fact that the equalization of bite force distributions is better in case of fixed prosthesis replacement.