Assessing the reliability of an integrated device measuring tongue pressure and bite force among dentate individuals - An observational study.

Background: Tooth loss leading to complete edentulism negatively impacts quality of life and oral function. Reduced biting force capability affects normal oral function in those who have lost teeth. Decreased tongue pressure significantly affects total oromotor function, especially swallowing. While devices exist to measure biting force and tongue pressure independently, integrated evaluation tools are lacking. This emphasizes developing a reliable integrated tool for simultaneous evaluation. Purpose: To evaluate the reliability of an integrated device designed to measure tongue pressure and bite force simultaneously in dentate individuals.

Material and methods: Study participants were 80 dentate individuals aged 21 to 55 years who were apparently normal. Participants with specific dental restorations, temporomandibular joint disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, or pacemakers were excluded. The MD30-60 force-sensitive sensors were employed to collect data on tongue pressure and bite force. Three recordings of the tongue pressure and bite force was done by three investigators at 1 minute time interval to prevent muscle fatigue. Statistical analysis utilized Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Lin's Concordance Correlation Coefficient (CCC) to assess the reliability of measurements.

Results: The analysis of the Intraclass correlation and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient demonstrated excellent reliability for bite force measurements, with ICC values ranging from 0.882 to 0.906 and a mean bite force of approximately 510 N. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) values ranged from 0.795 to 0.827 indicating good consistency among investigators. Bland-Altman analysis confirmed minimal bias and strong agreement for both measurements across investigators.

Conclusions: The novel integrated device demonstrated high reliability for measuring bite force and tongue pressure simultaneously. Key words:Bite force, tongue pressure, reliability, integrated device, oral function, oro-motor function, clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, edentulism.