Human bite force

Updated: Mar 2,

The average strength of a human bite is pounds per square inch PSI , but this pales in comparison to nature's champion chompers. The bite force of an animal is largely dependent on jaw muscles, as well as jawbone and surface area of the teeth — but it also depends on the size of their lunch. Bite force is measured in pounds per square inch, psi. In other words, the pressure that the animal exerts on its food, or unlucky prey. Researchers have used computer models based on multiple X-ray images generated by a computerised tomography CT scanner of shark skulls, to estimate the bite force of a great white shark Carcharodon carcharias.

Human bite force

His group at the University of New South Wales have studied the strength, sturdiness and biting power of the sabre-toothed cat , the great white shark , and the Komodo dragon. Now, he has turned his attention to a predator whose skull is far less impressive but yields surprises all the same — us. Some have even suggested that our weedy jaw muscles made way for our large brains and thus facilitated their evolution. The notion of weak human chops was based on very unrefined models that treated our jaws as two-dimensional levers. Of course, in real life, we chew in three glorious dimensions. To really understand how strong our mandibles are, we need to add that third dimension to the models. He used his signature technique, called finite element analysis , to create a virtual model of a human skull belonging to a San hunter-gatherer. For good measure, Wroe also digitised the skulls of six other primates — the gorilla, chimpanzee, orang-utan and white-handed gibbon, and two extinct species, Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus boisei. All of the skulls came from adult females. The images below show an example of these virtual models, displaying the forces that act upon the skulls as they chomp down on the second molar. The blue regions are those under the least amount of stress, while the red, pink and white regions are enduring the highest stresses. The results revealed that human skulls, far from being weak, are quite tough and unusually efficient for their size. Our second molars can exert a bite force between 1, and 1, Newtons, beating the orang-utan, gibbon and Australopithecus but lagging behind the gorilla, chimp and Paranthropus. And if you scale all the skulls to the same size, we suddenly become the leader of the pack. So not only is our bite very respectable, our jaw muscles need to exert considerably less force from to produce it.

The Hippopotamus has the strongest bite of all land animals at about PSI. This stage of evaluation was performed by a specialist in orthodontics, to ensure data reliability.

Federal government websites often end in. The site is secure. The dental and bite force evaluations were monitored by a professional from the area. Analysis of variance was used with MBF as a dependent variable, age group and gender as random factors, and BMI as a control variable. In young adults, the female force became greater the males, then decreased in adulthood.

Humans are often considered wimps compared with our strong-jawed relatives, but now scientists find that our bites might be far mightier than before thought. Relative to our size, humans could chomp down with as much force as a chimpanzee or even the so-called huge-jawed extinct "nutcracker man. One of the key traits that mark the beginning of the human lineage, other than upright postures and larger brains, are smaller teeth. Still, oddly, we possess very thick tooth enamel, a feature typically linked with strong bites. Now researchers find that although modern humans possess smaller teeth and jaws than our closest relatives, both living and extinct, we have surprisingly powerful bites. Although the human skull is relatively lightly built, Australian scientists found that our jaws are at least 40 percent more efficient than those of the chimp, gorilla and orangutan, and of two prehistoric members of our family, Australopithecus africanus and Paranthropus boisei — the latter nicknamed "the nutcracker man " for its especially massive skull and jaw muscles. The scientists developed sophisticated 3-dimensional computer models from actual skulls they CAT-scanned, including one from an African bushman hunter-gatherer that might better reflect what ancient humans might have been like than a living person. These simulations provided highly detailed views of where stresses occur in materials in scenarios designed to mimic real life, a technique Wroe and his colleagues have previously used to study the jaws of a number of living and extinct species, such as the great white shark. The efficiency of human jaw muscles explains why our skulls are not as robust as our relatives, since our skulls undergo much less stress. Our powerful bites also help explain why our tooth enamel is so thick.

Human bite force

His group at the University of New South Wales have studied the strength, sturdiness and biting power of the sabre-toothed cat, the great white shark, and the Komodo dragon. Now, he has turned his attention to a predator whose skull is far less impressive but yields surprises all the same — us. Some have even suggested that our weedy jaw muscles made way for our large brains and thus facilitated their evolution.

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It is known that the peaks of MBF occur after the third molar that is around 6 years of age. Hyenas can grip and tear through tough meat and crush bones. Changes in bite force, masticatory muscle thickness, and facial morphology between primary and mixed dentition in preschool children with normal occlusion. All rights reserved. Rose City Dental Care. Here are 7 tips for better sleep. As for strength? In the literature, there are significant differences in MBF between men and women. J Oral Rehabil. Maximal bite force and its association with temporomandibular disorders.

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Table 2 Statistical analysis of variables and age group—gender interaction with no significant relation to the maximum bite force. But our jaw muscles can produce a strong bite through less effort than those of other primates. The hormonal factor was not controlled in this study, suggesting further investigation on the variable in question. Science Mind, Body, Wonder You actually can consume too much caffeine. Saltwater crocodile bite force used for: Gripping onto prey while they use a death roll. Science Mind, Body, Wonder What's the source of your headaches? Some studies showed a nonexistent relationship between MBF and body measurements. There are reports that MBF decreases in women after 25 years of age and in men over 45 years of age. The anamnesis consisted of personal information such as name, date of birth, age, gender, address, and personal e-mail. Reading Score: The images below show an example of these virtual models, displaying the forces that act upon the skulls as they chomp down on the second molar.