Relationship between stress and Bruxism in children aged 9-11 years

Bruxism, the habit of teeth-grinding, is a night-time parafunction activity of the mastication system. It has a multifactorial etiology, which includes morphological, pathophysiological, and psychosocial factors, and it has been considered that the psychosocial factors of stress, anxiety, and personality characteristics increase the risk of its occurrence. The present study aimed to analyze the relationship between stress and bruxism in children aged 9-11 years, and was conducted in 20 children with bruxism; 20 non-bruxism children of the same age range formed a control group. The diagnosis of bruxism was established on the basis of a bruxism questionnaire that was completed by parents, and via a clinical examinations to verify the presence of tooth wear. The Stress in Children questionnaire (SiC) was completed by the children to assess their stress level. The results showed that children with bruxism had a significantly higher SiC score than the non-bruxism children (p < 0.05). The correlation between stress and bruxism showed a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.05) with a strong correlation (r=0.66).