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Published on: October 2, 2019
Community based study of sleep bruxism during early childhood
Salvatore P Insana1, David Gozal, Daniel W McNeil
1Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6040, USA.
Insights
High prevalence of sleep-bruxism in children was found. This condition is linked to internalizing behaviors, health issues, and reduced neurocognitive performance, suggesting a need for early intervention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Neuroscience
Background:
- Sleep-bruxism, characterized by teeth grinding during sleep, is prevalent in children.
- Understanding its associations with behavior, health, and cognition is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- Determine the prevalence of sleep-bruxism in young children.
- Explore associations between sleep-bruxism and child behavior problems.
- Identify relationships among sleep-bruxism, health issues, and neurocognitive performance.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of parent-reported surveys and child assessments.
- Included 1953 preschoolers and 2888 first graders for bruxism frequency.
- Subsample (n=249) underwent detailed behavioral and neurocognitive evaluations.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of sleep-bruxism was 36.8% in preschoolers and 49.6% in first graders (≥1/week).
- Bruxism independently associated with increased internalizing behaviors (β=.17).
- Bruxism linked to health problems (β=.19), which correlated with lower neurocognitive performance (β=.22).
Conclusions:
- High prevalence of pediatric sleep-bruxism observed.
- A significant link exists between sleep-bruxism, internalizing behaviors, health, and neurocognition.
- Sleep-bruxism may indicate adverse health conditions, necessitating early, interdisciplinary intervention.
Objectives:
The aims for this study were to determine the prevalence of sleep-bruxism among young children, explore child behavior problems that may be associated with sleep-bruxism, and identify relations among sleep-bruxism, health problems, and neurocognitive performance.
Methods:
The current study was a retrospective analysis of parent report surveys, and behavioral and neurocognitive assessments. Parents of 1953 preschool and 2888 first grade children indicated their child's frequency of bruxism during sleep. A subsample of preschool children (n=249) had additional behavioral, as well as neurocognitive assessments. Among the subsample, parents also reported on their child's health, and completed the Child Behavioral Checklist; children were administered the Differential Ability Scales, and Pre-Reading Abilities subtests of the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment.
Results:
36.8% of preschoolers and 49.6% of first graders were reported to brux ⩾1time per week. Among the preschool subsample, bruxing was independently associated with increased internalizing behaviors (β=.17). Bruxism was also associated with increased health problems (β=.19), and increased health problems were associated with decreased neurocognitive performance (β=.22).
Conclusions:
The prevalence of sleep-bruxism was high. A dynamic and potentially clinically relevant relation exists among sleep-bruxism, internalizing behaviors, health, and neurocognition. Pediatric sleep-bruxism may serve as a sentinel marker for possible adverse health conditions, and signal a need for early intervention. These results support the need for an interdisciplinary approach to pediatric sleep medicine, dentistry, and psychology.
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