Association between bruxism and temporomandibular disorders in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Bruxism in children and its relation to the development of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) has not been clearly determined yet.

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the possible association between bruxism and TMD in children.

Seven databases were searched, and 497 articles were assessed. Methodological quality was assessed through Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The meta-analysis was performed with the articles in which extraction of data was possible and the summary effect measure through odds ratio (OR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the certainty of evidence.

Ten cross-sectional studies were included in the systematic review. Of these, 8 showed a statistically significant association between bruxism and TMD. Seven studies however presented a high risk of bias. The meta-analysis was performed with 3 articles and obtained an OR of 2.97 (95% CI ranging from 1.72-5.15), indicating that children with bruxism are 2.97 times more likely to present TMD, with very low level of certainty defined by GRADE.

Although the studies showed high risk of bias, the qualitative analysis of individual studies showed that the children with bruxism have greater chance of developing TMD.