Assessment of sleep bruxism and its association with sleep quality, stress levels, and dental health in pediatric population: a multifactorial analysis.

BACKGROUND

Bruxism is defined as the recurring muscular activity of the jaw, which is distinguished by the unconscious grinding or clenching of teeth or pushing and forcing of the lower jaw. The present study was conducted to assess sleep bruxism and its association with sleep quality, stress levels, and dental health in the paediatric population.

METHODOLOGY

384 children aged 6-12 years were recruited for the study. Ethical approval from the institutional ethical committee and informed consent from parents and guardians were obtained. Children with systemic diseases, mental or developmental disorders, CNS-affecting medications, or those whose parents did not provide consent were not included. Bruxism was identified using the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) criteria through parental reports. Sleep quality and stress levels were assessed using AASM guidelines and the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C). A chi-square test was applied to assess association, with a p value < 0.05 considered to be significant.

RESULTS

The number of siblings and the mother's education level were also significantly associated. It was found that sleep bruxism is significantly associated with all parameters of sleep quality except the usage of pillows. When stress levels among children were assessed, it was found that 60 (15.6%) children had very low stress, 131 (34.1%) children had low stress, 95 (24.7%) children had average stress, 92 (24%) children had high stress, and 6 (1.6%) children had a very high level of stress. A statistically highly significant (p = 0.001) association was found between bruxism and stress levels among children.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study concluded that sleep bruxism was significantly linked with sleep quality and stress levels among children, which ultimately affect dental health.