Bite-force variation related to occlusal variation in rural and urban Punjabis (North India).
Occlusal variation from defined norms was much less in traditional rural youths eating a rough unprocessed diet. Bite forces were significantly higher in the rural youths; their habitual harder chewing may help to being about their better occlusal development. Rural youths showed stronger increase with age and sex dimorphism than urban youths in bite force; thus, rurally the development of masticatory and facial structures may depend on functional masticatory demand.
D000293:Adolescent; D001732:Bite Force; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D009058:Mouth Breathing / Q000453:epidemiology; D012424:Rural Population; D014505:Urban Population