Relationship between self-reported bruxism and periodontal status: Findings from a cross-sectional study

Several studies seek to prove the relationship between bruxism and periodontal status although it remains unclear and debatable. We aimed to assess the association between self-reported (SR) bruxism with the periodontal status in a large scale survey.

A total of 1064 individuals from the southern region of the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Portugal) were enrolled. Patients were interviewed for the SR bruxism assessment through a self-report questionnaire. Full-mouth periodontal status was assessed with probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), gingival recession (REC), and bleeding on probing (BoP) being measured. The American Association of Periodontology/European Federation of Periodontology 2018 case definitions were used. Logistic regression analyses provided information on the influence of SR bruxism towards periodontitis.

SR bruxers exhibited lower prevalence of periodontitis. Additionally, SR bruxers with periodontitis had PD and CAL significantly lower than patients with only periodontitis. Multivariate analysis suggests that SR bruxism was significantly associated with a lower risk of periodontitis (odds ratio [OR] = 0.42 95% CI: 0.32-0.56). Mean PD and CAL were significantly lower in SR bruxers. When assessing the type of SR bruxism, significant differences among mean PD, CAL, and BoP levels were also identified.

SR bruxism and periodontal status are negatively associated. SR bruxers exhibit lower odds towards periodontitis and better periodontal clinical characteristics. Further studies are mandatory to clarify these findings.