Association of hand grip strength and bite force on the presence of plaque among adults aged 35–44 years in Mangalore – a cross-sectional study

Objective: To determine the associations of hand grip strength and bite force on presence of plaque in the adult population in Mangalore. The research hypothesis was that hand grip strength, bite force, and plaque scores are associated. Results: A total of 48 patients were included, among whom 20 (41.7%) were males and 28 (58.3%) were females, with a mean age of 39.8 ± 3.2 years. A significant relationship was observed between plaque score and education level (p = 0.043), method of brushing (p = 0.006) and frequency of changing toothbrushes (p = 0.000). Handgrip strength and bite force on both the left and right sides were significantly associated with sex (p value: hand grip strength on the right side (HG_rt) = 0.000, handgrip strength on the left side (HG_lt) = 0.000, bite force on the right side (BF_rt) = 0.008, bite force on the left side (BF_lt) = 0.007)) and employment status (p value: HG_rt, HG_lt, BF_rt, BF_lt = 0.000). Attrition was associated with handgrip strength alone (p value: HG_rt = 0.002, HG_lt = 0.011). No significant differences were observed between the plaque score and hand grip strength or between the plaque score and bite force on either the left or right side. Regression analysis with the plaque score as the dependent variable revealed no significant results.