Maximal bite force values and subjective symptoms and clinical signs of craniomandibular disorders (CMD) were recorded for a non-patient sample of 129 young adults, 56 men and 73 women. The signs and symptoms of CMD were classified on the basis of Helkimo's clinical dysfunction index. The two genders reported equally frequently subjective symptoms of CMD, but women had significantly more severe clinical signs of CMD than did men. Mean maximal bite force values for men were 909 N (SD, 177) in the molar region and 382 N (SD, 133) in the incisai region and thus significantly higher than corresponding figures for women, 777 N (SD, 168) in the molar, 325 N (SD, 116) in the incisai region, suggesting that separate evaluation of the genders would be advisable in future studies involving bite force assessments. Neither subjective symptoms nor clinical signs of CMD correlated significantly with maximal bite force values. The bite force values measured were in line with theoretical calculations.