INTRODUCTION: Prevalence of sleep bruxism (SB) in children is subject to discussions in the literature. OBJECTIVE: This study is a systematic literature review aiming to critically assess the prevalence of SB in children. METHODS: Survey using the following research databases: MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE, PubMed, Lilacs and BBO, from January 2000 to February 2013, focusing on studies specifically assessing the prevalence of SB in children. RESULTS: After applying the inclusion criteria, four studies were retrieved. Among the selected articles, the prevalence rates of SB ranged from 5.9% to 49.6%, and these variations showed possible associations with the diagnostic criteria used for SB. CONCLUSION: There is a small number of studies with the primary objective of assessing SB in children. Additionally, there was a wide variation in the prevalence of SB in children. Thus, further, evidence-based studies with standardized and validated diagnostic criteria are necessary to assess the prevalence of SB in children more accurately.

No abstract

While there was a high prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in the professional athletes in our study, the prevalence of the condition in recreational athletes was similar to that in individuals who did not practice martial arts.

After analyzing the literature, it was found that intra-articular injection with corticosteroids and sodium hyaluronate seems to be an effective method for treating internal derangements of the TMJ. However, further randomized controlled clinical trials, with representative samples and longer follow-up time must be carried out in order to assess the real effectiveness of this technique.

Chronic paroxysmal hemicrania (CPH) is an unusual cause of headache, affecting predominantly women in the third to fourth decade. It is characterized by multiple attacks of unilateral pain, mostly located in fronto-orbito-temporal region, often associated with autonomic symptoms, such as lacrymation, conjunctival hyperaemia and nasal obstruction or rhinorrhea. Each attack usually lasts from 2 to 45 min and as diagnostic criteria it should be absolutely responsive to indomethacin in varying doses (1).Since the first description and definition of diagnostic criteria, few cases of CPH have been described in children. We report a 10 years-old girl with symptoms beginning since early childhood. Case reportA 10-year-old girl complained of attacks of left unilateral headache. Their parents explain that since she was a baby (1 year old), she had sudden periods of apparently unmotivated crying lasting about five minutes, approximately once a week, when she took her hands to the left ear region. As she started communication, on numerous occasions she said that she had pain or cold sensation in the periauricular region. At age 4, these attacks became more severe, lasting about 40 min, many times a day. She had a normal neurological, clinical and otological examination and CT scan, head MRI (three times since then), skull X-ray, auditory evoked-potentials, audiometry and blood tests were all normal. Thermography showed a cold-patch image in left frontal area, characteristic of hemiparoxystic headaches.Since the first attacks, she tried different medication, including NSAIDs, amitryptilin, imipramine, propranolol and carbamazepine, all without pain relief. The only effective medication was indomethacin, with a good efficacy since the first use at age 6, at doses of 25 mg 2-4 times a day it kept her free of headache if taken at least twice per day or with partial relief in lower doses. A psychological evaluation did not show any major affective disorders except coping strategies to avoid pain.At the time of consultation, the attacks varied in intensity and frequency. When she refrained from taking indomethacin, the attacks lasted from 15 to 40 min, followed by a brief relief of symptoms and posterior return after about 40 min. During severe attacks, lacrymation and conjunctival hyperaemia in the left eye could be seen. Rarely, her parents observed ipsilateral eyelid eodema but no nasal congestion or rhinorrhea. Some attacks have been videotaped and her behaviour was stereotyped in all of them, when she remained seated and crying, with her hand over the left side of her head and face, especially in left fronto-temporo-orbital region, sometimes including periauricular region. She markedly closed her left eye. Most of the time she remained seated but with occasional standing.After the diagnosis of possible chronic paroxysmal hemicrania was made, she was prescribed verapamil at increasing doses up to 240 mg, with a partial relief of symptoms, but still required indomethacin at lower doses (about 25 mg) 1-2 times a day.

Introduction: Occlusal side effects or development of pain and/or functional impairment of the temporomandibular complex are potential reasons for poor compliance or abandonment of mandibular advancement splints treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Objective: This study aimed at providing a comprehensive review evaluating the craniofacial side effects of oral appliance therapy for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. Methods: An electronic search was systematically conducted in PubMed and Virtual Health Library from their inception until October 2016. Only Randomized Controlled Trials whose primary aim was to measure objectively identified side effects on craniofacial complex of a custom-made oral appliance for treating primary snoring or obstructive sleep apnea were included. Studied patients should be aged 20 or older. The risk of bias in the trials was assessed in accordance with the recommendations of The Cochrane Risk of Bias criteria. Results: A total of 62 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. After the review process, only 6 met all the inclusion criteria. All studies were rated as having a high risk of bias. The most uniformly reported mandibular advancement splint side effects were predominantly of dental nature and included a decrease in overjet and overbite. The risk of developing pain and function impairment of the temporomandibular complex appeared limited with long-term mandibular advancement splint use. Conclusion: The limited available evidence suggests that mandibular advancement splint therapy for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea results in changes in craniofacial morphology that are predominantly dental in nature, specially on a long-term basis. Considering the chronic nature of obstructive sleep apnea and that oral appliance use might be a lifelong treatment, a thorough customized follow-up should therefore be undertaken to detect possible side effects on craniofacial complex. It is also important to provide adequate information to the patients regarding these possible changes, especially to those in whom larger occlusal changes are to be expected or in whom they are unfavorable. Long-term assessments of adverse effects of oral appliance therapy, with larger study samples and recruitment of homogenous patient population are still required.

No abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Epidemiologic studies of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) bring general understanding of the role of sleep bruxism (SP) as TMD triggering and/or perpetuating factor. To date, studies on this association have not shown conclusive results. A reason for the low specificity level of this association is the different diagnostic methodology, both for TMD and SB. This study aimed at evaluating the possible cause and effect ratio between SB and TMD. CONTENTS: Systematic literature review of research databases Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, Pubmed, LILACS and BBO. Eligible criteria were papers published between January 2000 and August 2012, using the Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC/TMD) for TMD diagnosis and polysomnography (PSG) for SB evaluation. Nine studies were selected by crossing chosen keywords. After applying inclusion criteria, four studies were selected. From five discarded studies, two were pilot studies, one was a review article, one case report and one comparative study not using RDC/TMD. CONCLUSION: Evaluated studies were unable to establish a positive relationship between SB and TMD when keywords sleep bruxism, temporomandibular disorders and polysomnography were crossed; however they reinforce the need for referring TMD patients with sleep disorders to polysomnographic evaluation.