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Published on: February 2, 2018
Dental practitioner approaches to bruxism: Preliminary findings from the national dental practice-based research
Rahma Mungia1, Frank Lobbezoo2, Ellen Funkhouser3
1Department of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Objective:
Bruxism is a repetitive masticatory muscle activity. This study investigates dental practitioners' approaches to bruxism assessment and treatment in practices.
Methods:
A brief 5 question questionnaire ("Quick Poll") on bruxism was conducted.
Results:
A total of 397 practitioners responded. More than half (55%) initiated treatment for bruxism on one to three patients per month. The majority believed that stress (97%) and sleep patterns (82%) affected bruxism in their patients. Interestingly, 96% offered an occlusal guard/appliance and 46% made occlusal adjustments.
Conclusion:
This study highlights inconsistencies in practitioner approaches to bruxism assessment and management in clinical settings, suggesting gaps in practitioner knowledge evidenced by the varied responses.
Abbreviations:
PBRN - Practice-Based Research NetworkMMA - Masticatory muscle activitySB - Sleep bruxismAB - Awake bruxismTMJ - Temporomandibular jointOSA - Obstructive sleep apnea.
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