Development of a device for measuring bite force on individual teeth using a capacitive surface pressure distribution sensor

Introduction: Measuring the bite force of the full jaw in pediatric patients is challenging due to the changing occlusal relationships during the transition from deciduous to permanent teeth, and younger children often struggle to occlude their dental arch as instructed by the measurement sensor. Therefore, a practical approach is to use the measured occlusal pressure at the second primary or first permanent molar as the pediatric bite force. Materials and methods: We applied a capacitive surface pressure distribution sensor, approximately 12 mm thick, and developed a device capable of measuring the bite force on individual teeth by detecting changes in capacitance. The accuracy of the results was examined by comparing them with the push-in load of the universal testing machine. Results: The bite force values calculated from the output of the developed capacitive surface pressure distribution sensor showed a high correlation with the load values of the universal testing machine (R² = 0.99). The results of repeated measurements at a load of 500 N indicated that each measurement error remained within ±15 %, even after conducting 50 measurements. Conclusion: The newly developed capacitive surface pressure distribution sensor can measure occlusal pressure in the second primary or first permanent molar, making it a useful tool for measuring bite forces at specific sites in clinical and epidemiological settings.