Is there really an association between poor sleep quality and nocturnal tooth-grinding? The answer is overwhelmingly yes. Yet another study, in Sleep and Breathing, has made the point again (Massignan C, et al., Sleep Breath. 2019 Sep;23(3):935-941. doi: 10.1007/s11325-018-1771-y).
This one investigated the prevalence of probable sleep bruxism (SB) in primary and mixed dentitions across different age ranges. Sleep characteristics, socioeconomic status, and presence of probable SB were assessed by questionnaire. Seven trained examiners (Kappa > 0.7) assessed tooth wear. Unadjusted and adjusted Poisson regression was performed with probable SB as a dependent variable. Independent variables were as follows: family income, parent schooling, drooling, tooth wear, and sleep quality. The independent variables presenting p value ≤ 0.20 were included in the adjusted model.
The prevalence of probable SB was 22.3% in primary and 32.7% in mixed dentition. Probable SB was significantly associated with poor sleep quality (p < 0.001) in mixed dentition (PR 1.80; 95% CI 1.34-2.44) adjusting for age and drooling. In the primary dentition, the adjusted regression did not show association between analyzed characteristic and probable SB. Interestingly, sex, socioeconomic placement, household educational status, drooling, or tooth wear were not associated with probable SB in either dentition.
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