Do family functioning and mothers’ and children’s stress increase the odds of probable sleep bruxism among schoolchildren? A case control study

Behavioral and clinical aspects associated with probable sleep bruxism in early childhood

“…Based on previous studies, the prevalence of sleep bruxism in children varies from 3.5% to 40.6% 11,12 . In our study, based on the parents' report, 42.4% of the children gnashed their teeth while sleeping.…”

“…One of the biggest challenges for epidemiological studies on bruxism in children today is still the lack of standardization of the methodology 9 . Based on the literature, factors such as headache, muscle pain, low sleep quality, psychological factors, respiratory problems, and behavioral problems may be associated with sleep bruxism and may influence the development of comorbidities in the individual 6,11,15,[25][26][27] . As with any pathology, it is essential to diagnose and intervene early, even with little concrete information, if identified, it is possible to intervene and consequently eliminate or reduce the impact on the child's life.…”

“…Therefore, for conducting epidemiological studies with sleep bruxism in children, this method is not viable 9 . The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) considers that the reports of parents/caregivers or the self-report of teeth grinding, are quite reliable and sufficient for use in epidemiological studies 8,[10][11][12] . For this reason, the report of the parents/caregivers can be an essential complaint to the dental surgeon, so that he may, in due course, investigate further 6,13 .…”

Does toxic stress impact paediatric dental procedures? An integrative review

“…1,2,6 All these changes affect the overall health of children, causing immune system impairments, increases in inflammatory markers, and impacts on oral health. [7][8][9][10][11] In addition, previous studies [12][13][14] reported that family factors, such as maternal or paternal stress, can lead to the development of parafunctional oral habits such as finger sucking and bruxism, caries lesions and other oral disorders. Scientific evidence 5,7,11,12,13,14,15 has indicated that children with previous potentially stressful experiences in paediatric dental procedures, manifested uncooperative behavior in relation to those who didn't suffer negative experiences.…”

“…[7][8][9][10][11] In addition, previous studies [12][13][14] reported that family factors, such as maternal or paternal stress, can lead to the development of parafunctional oral habits such as finger sucking and bruxism, caries lesions and other oral disorders. Scientific evidence 5,7,11,12,13,14,15 has indicated that children with previous potentially stressful experiences in paediatric dental procedures, manifested uncooperative behavior in relation to those who didn't suffer negative experiences. Furthermore, is reasonable to infer a strong association between a child's young age, negative dental experiences, toxic stress, and uncooperative behavior.…”