Sleep bruxism in patients with sleep-disordered breathing

Area of Science:

• Sleep Medicine
• Neurology
• Dentistry

Background:

• Sleep-disordered breathing, particularly obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), is a common condition affecting sleep quality.
• Sleep bruxism, characterized by jaw clenching and grinding, can have various underlying causes.
• The potential direct association between OSA and sleep bruxism requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the hypothesis of a direct association between sleep-disordered breathing and sleep bruxism.
• To quantify the frequency of masseter muscle contraction (MC) and rhythmic jaw movements (RJM) in patients with mild and moderate OSA.
• To determine if MC episodes are directly linked to apnoea or hypopnoea events.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 21 patients (19 males, mean age 40.0 years) with mild to moderate OSA were studied.
• Sleep bruxism diagnosis was based on questionnaires, clinical observation, and all-night polysomnography with masseter electromyography.
• Masseter contraction (MC) episodes and rhythmic jaw movements (RJM) were measured and analyzed in relation to apnoea/hypopnoea events.

Main Results:

• Sleep bruxism was diagnosed in 54% of mild OSA patients and 40% of moderate OSA patients.
• Masseter contraction (MC) episodes were directly associated with the termination of apnoea or hypopnoea episodes in only 3.5% of the mild OSA group and 14.4% of the moderate OSA group (p<0.05).
• The study found a low incidence of direct association between sleep bruxism events and apnoeic events.

Conclusions:

• Sleep bruxism is infrequently directly associated with apnoeic events in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.
• The findings suggest that sleep bruxism in OSA patients is more likely related to general sleep disturbances rather than specific apnoeic events.
• Further research may be needed to fully elucidate the complex relationship between sleep bruxism and obstructive sleep apnoea.