Management of sleep-time masticatory muscle activity using stabilisation splints affects psychological stress

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Sleep Medicine
• Psychology

Background:

• Sleep bruxism (SB) is commonly treated with stabilisation splints (SS).
• The impact of SS on psychological stress and sleep quality requires further investigation.
• Understanding these effects is crucial for comprehensive SB management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of stabilisation splints (SS) on psychological stress and sleep quality in individuals with sleep bruxism.
• To compare the outcomes of SS use against a palatal splint (PS) and a no-splint baseline.
• To determine the efficacy of SS in managing SB symptoms and associated psychological factors.

Main Methods:

• A crossover study design involving healthy volunteers (11 men, 12 women).
• Sleep measurements included masseter muscle activity (electromyography) for SB evaluation and sleep staging.
• Psychological stress was assessed using STAI-JYZ scores and salivary chromogranin A levels before and after sleep.

Main Results:

• Among participants identified as a high bruxism group, SS use significantly decreased the number of bruxism events per hour compared to baseline (P < 0.05).
• A significant increase in the difference of total STAI Y-1 scores was observed in the SS group, indicating heightened psychological stress.
• No significant differences were found in sleep stages between the baseline, SS, and PS conditions.

Conclusions:

• Stabilisation splints (SS) may be effective in reducing the frequency of sleep bruxism events.
• SS use could potentially lead to an increase in psychological stress levels.
• SS did not demonstrate a significant influence on sleep architecture or stages.