Maximum voluntary bite force Maximum voluntary Bite Force (MBF) was assessed by means of an Occlusal Force-Meter GM 10® (Nagano Keiki, Higashimagome, Ohta-ku, Tokyo, Japan), which has an 8.6 mm thick bite element. The gauge was placed in-between the first molars and the participants were asked to bite three times as hard as possible for about three seconds. The MBF was tested independently on the right and left side. For the analysis, the peak MBF of each side was noted.