Probable Sleep Bruxism in Children and its Relationship with Harmful Oral Habits, Type of Crossbite and Oral Breathing

Objective: To establish the prevalence of Probable Sleep Bruxism (PSB) and its association with gender, breast or bottle-feeding, posterior and anterior crossbite, oral habits and oral breathing. Study Design: Consists of a cross-sectional study in which 151 children were submitted to a clinical oral examination for the evaluation of tooth wear, muscle discomfort and the presence of anterior and/or posterior crossbite. Parents/caregivers were asked about the frequency of teeth grinding during the child's sleep and the occurrence of harmful oral habits, as well as the type of childbirth and breastfeeding. Data were statistically analyzed through Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests at a 5% level of significance to determine an association among variables. Results: The prevalence of PSB was of 27.8% among the examined children. Among the analyzed variables, only oral breathing was statistically associated to PSB (p < 0.001), and it was verified that children with oral breathing are 2.71 times more likely to present sleep bruxism. Conclusions: The prevalence of PSB in schoolchildren was high and the disorder was associated with oral breathing. Thus, pediatric dentists have an important role in the diagnosis of sleep bruxism and in monitoring breathing-related disorders.

Child; Epidemiology; Habits; Malocclusion; Sleep bruxism

1. Guo H, Wang T, Niu X, Wang H, Yang W, Qiu J, Yang L. The risk factors related to bruxism in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Oral Biol 86: 18-34, 2018.

2. Demjaha G, Kapusevska B, Pejkovska-Shahpaska B. Bruxism Unconscious Oral Habit in Everyday Life. Open Access Maced J Med Sci 7(5): 876-881, 2019.

3. Manfredini D, Winocur E, Guarda-Nardini L, Paesani D, Lobbezoo F. Epidemiology of bruxism in adults. A systematic review of literature. J Orofac Pain 27: 99-110, 2013.

4. Gomes MC, Neves ÉT, Perazzo MF, Souza EGC, Serra-Negra JM, Paiva SM, Granville-Garcia AF. Evaluation of the association of bruxism, psychosocial and sociodemographic factors in preschoolers. Braz Oral Res 32: 9-16, 2018.

5. De Alencar NA, Leão CS, Leão ATT, Luiz RR, Fonseca-Gonçalves A, Maia LC. Sleep Bruxism and Anxiety Impacts in Quality of Life Related to Oral Health of Brazilian Children and their Families. J Clin Pediatr Dent 41(3): 179-185, 2017.

6. Serra-Negra JM, Ribeiro MB, Prado IM, Paiva SM, Pordeus IA. Association between possible sleep bruxism and sleep characteristics in children. Cranio 35(5): 315-320, 2017.

7. Campos MPMS, Valença PAM, Silva GMD, Lima MC, Jamelli SR, Góes PSA. Influence of head and linear growth on the development of malocclusion at six years of age: a cohort study. Braz Oral Res 32: 98-107, 2018.

8. Bueno SB, Bittar TO, Vazquez Fde L, Meneghim MC, Pereira AC. Association of breastfeeding, pacifier use, breathing pattern and malocclusions in preschoolers. Dent Press J Orthod 18(1): 30.e1-6, 2013.

9. Drumond CL, Ramos-Jorge J, Vieira-Andrade RG, Paiva SM, SerraNegra JMC, Ramos-Jorge ML. Prevalence of probable sleep bruxism and associated factors in Brazilian schoolchildren. Int J Paediatr Dent 29(2): 221-227, 2018.

10. Hertzman C, Boyce T. How experience gets under the skin to create gradients in developmental health. Annu Rev Public Health 31: 329–347, 2010.

11. Ling HTB, Sum FHKMH, Zhang L, Yeung CPW, Li KY, Wong HM, Yang Y. The association between nutritive, non-nutritive sucking habits and primary dental occlusion. BMC Oral Health 18: 145-154, 2018.

12. Zaidi I, Thayath MN, Singh S, Sinha A. Preterm Birth: A Primary Etiological Factor for Delayed Oral Growth and Development. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 8(3): 215-219, 2015.

13. Lobbezoo F, Ahlberg J, Glaros AG, Glaros AG, Kato T, Koyano K, Lavigne GJ, de Leeuw R, Manfredini D, Svensson P, Winocur E. Bruxism defined and graded: an international consensus. J Oral Rehabil 40: 2-4, 2013.

14. Thilander B, Pena L, Infante C, Parada S, Mayorga C. Prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need in children and adolescents in Bogota, Colombia. An epidemiological study related to different stages of dental development. Eur J Orthod 23: 153-168, 2001.

15. Nahás-Scocate AC., Coelho FV., de Almeida VC. Bruxism in children and transverse plane of occlusion: Is there a relationship or not? Dent Press J Orthod 19(5): 67–73, 2014.

16. Vieira-Andrade RG, Drumond CL, Martins-Júnior PA, Corrêa-Faria P, Gonzaga GC, Marques LS, Ramos-Jorge ML. Prevalence of sleep bruxism and associated factors in preschool children. Pediatr Dent 36: 46-50, 2014.

17. Simões-Zenari M, Bitar ML. Factors associated to bruxism in children from 4-6 years. Pró-Fono R Atual Cient 22(4): 465-472, 2010.

18. Fonseca CM, Santos MB, Consani RL, Santos JF, Marchini L. Incidence of sleep bruxism among children in Itanhandu, Brazil. Sleep Breath 15(2): 215-220, 2011.

19. Clementino MA, Siqueira MB, Serra-Negra JM, Paiva SM, Granville-Garcia AF. The prevalence of sleep bruxism and associated factors in children: a report by parents. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent 18(6): 399-404, 2017.

20. Castroflorio T, Bargellini A, Rossini G, Cugliari G, Rainoldi A, Deregibus A. Risk factors related to sleep bruxism in children: A systematic literature review. Arch Oral Biol 60(11): 1618-1624, 2015.

21. Motta LJ, Bortoletto CC, Marques AJ, Ferrari RM, Fernandes KS, Bussadori SK. Association between respiratory problems and dental caries in children with bruxism. Indian J Dent Res 25: 9-13, 2014.

22. Tachibana M, Kato T, Kato-Nishimura K, Matsuzawa S, Mohri I, Taniike M. Associations of sleep bruxism with age, sleep apnea, and daytime problematic behaviors in children. Oral Dis 22(6): 557-565, 2016.

23. Guo H, Wang T, Li X, Ma Q, Niu X, Qiu J. What sleep behaviors are associated with bruxism in children? A systematic review and meta analysis. Sleep Breath 21: 1013-1023, 2017.

24. Drumond CL, Souza DS, Serra-Negra JM, Marques LS, Ramos-Jorge ML, Ramos-Jorge J. Respiratory disorders and the prevalence of sleep bruxism among schoolchildren aged 8 to 11 years. Sleep Breath 21(1): 203-208, 2017.

25. Balasubramaniam R, Kiasser GD, Cistulli PA, Lavigne GJ. The link between sleep bruxism, sleep disordered breathing and temporomandibular disorders: An evidence-based review. J Dent Sleep Med 1: 27-37, 2014.

26. Miamoto CB, Pereira LJ, Ramos-Jorge ML, Marques LS. Prevalence and predictive factors of sleep bruxism in children with and without cognitive impairment. Braz Oral Res 25(5): 439-445, 2011.