Children as Young as Three can Bite as Hard as a Dog Aug 24, 2009 Damascus, (SANA)- Children as young as three can bite with the same force as a dog, new research found. It is hoped that the findings from the study, by the University of Leeds, will be used to improve bite testing of toys and prevent injury and deaths from choking among the under-fives. Researchers claimed that age labels on toys were not sufficient to prevent accidents as parents do not read, or misunderstand, warning labels. Gary Mountain, senior child health lecturer and deputy head of the University of Leeds' School of Health care, led the research after he collaborated with the Leeds Dental Institute to design an instrument to accurately test the bite force of young children. It is the first time such a study has been conducted in Britain. Dr Mountain said: "Evidence shows that parents are not reading warning labels. Or, if they do, then sometimes they think that the age labels on toys relate to a child's developmental capability, rather than the fact that the toy may pose a potential risk from having small parts. "In addition, there is currently no standard that would safeguard children when biting and/or chewing toys or play products and breaking off pieces which may then be swallowed or inhaled. "The research was based on the number of cases of young children admitted to hospital emergency departments after swallowing or inhaling small parts from objects and toys. "There is a real need to develop robust bite-testing standards for children's toys but until now we didn't have the research on which to base them." Dr Mountain has now received funding from the Yorkshire Enterprise Fellowship to develop a commercial version of the instrument to measure children's bite forces. The study tested the bite force of more than 206 children, aged three to five – the age group most likely to bite and chew foreign objects. While some youngsters were found to bite with equal strength to a dog, the results also revealed that the force of a child's bite is affected by weight, ethnicity and standards of dental health. From the Telegraph. H.Zain/ /Ghossoun