A method of bite force measurement in primates.
A bite force transducer consisting of two differential strain beams with four strain gages in a full bridge configuration was modified for measuring occlusal forces in rhesus monkeys. A procedure of muscle stimulation (20-50 V, 60 Hz, and 0.8 ms duration) produced maximal unilateral masticatory muscle contraction when stimulating electrodes were placed in the masseter muscle. Tests of this procedure revealed reproducible results and a potential for use in studies of the force of isometric contraction of the masticatory muscles in normal and experimentally altered macaques and other primates.
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001732:Bite Force; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000502:physiology; D009119:Muscle Contraction