Natural dentition chewing forces are well below maximum bite force on average foods,

ranging from 0.5 to 33 pounds, seldom exceeding 100 pounds. 15

The human jaw muscles are very powerful, however. The average maximum biting force

for 20 subjects was 192 pounds (range: 55 to 280 pounds).

Woelfels Dental Anatomy 8th Ed 2012 page 290

Experiments involving the implantation of force transducers into the occlusal surfaces of

teeth have shown that the bite force exerted on the food during human mastication is of

the order of 515 kg. This force varies according to the texture of the food. When

conscious bite force is measured with a gnathodynamometer, maximum pressures of the

order of 50 kg can be readily recorded.

Oral anatomy, histology and embriology 4th Ed page 96

The literature reports that average biting forces vary between 25 and 75 N in the anterior

region and between 40 and 125 N for the posterior region of the mouth, depending on

food type, dental status (dentate or edentulous), and patient anatomy and

functional habits.55,71Those forces can easily reach 1000 N or above in case of

parafunctions, showing how potentially destructive they can be for intact teeth and even

more so for nonvital, fragilized teeth. Parafunctional habits (clenching and bruxism) are

major causes of fatigue or traumatic injury to teeth, including wear, cracks, and fractures.

Teeth that show extensive wear or sequelae from parafunctions, especially heavy lateral
function, require components with the highest physical properties to protect restored teeth

against fracture

Cohens Pathways of the Pulp 11th Ed page 829