Behavioral problems and emotional stress in children with bruxism

Abstract

Bruxism has a multifactorial etiology, and psychosocial factors have been considered to increase the risk of occurrence of this parafunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavior profile of a group of children diagnosed with bruxism. Eighty 7-11-year-old children of both genders (mean age 8.8 years) first recruited as eligible participants. Twenty-nine children (18 males and 11 females) whose parents/guardians reported to present frequent episodes of tooth grinding/clenching while awake or during sleep (at least 3 nights a week) in the previous 3 months were enrolled in the study. The diagnosis of bruxism was established based on the parents/guardians' report about the children's behavior, habits and possible discomforts in the components of the stomatognathic system allied to the presence of signs and symptoms such as pain on the masticatory muscles, masseter muscle hypertrophy, wear facets, fractures of restorations, dental impressions on the cheek mucosa and tongue. As part of the psychological evaluation, the Rutter's Child Behavior Scale-A2 was applied to the parents/caregivers (one for each child) and the Child Stress Scale was applied to the children. Data were analyzed descriptively based on the frequency of each studied variable. Twenty-four (82.76%) children needed psychological or psychiatric intervention; 17 of them presented neurotic disorders and 7 children presented antisocial disorders. Six (20.70%) children presented significant physical and psychological manifestations of stress. The findings of the present study suggest that behavioral problems and potential emotional problems can be risk factors to bruxism in children.

Agreement between two different approaches to assess parent-reported sleep bruxism in children

“…The current scientific evidence about bruxism in children present various aspects that are still inconclusive, however, they already indicate that SB is more prevalent in younger children, with worse sleep quality and with anxious 8,9 or nervous behaviors 6,10,11 . Although none of the questions was assumed as right, the FTQ showed greater coherence with factors already recognized as associated with childhood bruxism, considering behavioral and sleep characteristics 5,8,10,[12][13][14][15] .…”

Bruxismo na infância: fatores etiológicos e possíveis fatores de risco

“…24, 25 Ferreira-Bacci et al 20 concluíram que 1% das crianças diagnosticadas com bruxismo do sono apresentavam outros distúrbios do sono concomitantes. Tais distúrbios afetam diretamente a qualidade de vida das crianças, por acarretarem um padrão de sono não repousante, fato que reflete no desempenho educacional e nas atitudes comportamentais da criança.…”

Bruxism in Children Appears to be Associated With Emotional Problems but Not Depression

“…The authors of this study contributed evidence to a growing yet inconclusive body of evidence that bruxism in children is associated with psychosocial factors. 1 This potential relationship adds considerable importance to this area of investigation, as it may contribute to the early detection of mental health problems in children; if the association is confirmed, paying attention to bruxism could provide an additional avenue to identify children or groups of children at risk of poor mental ill health.…”