Sleep bruxism and GERD correlation in a general population convenience sample

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Sleep Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Sleep bruxism (SB) is an activity that occurs during sleep and involves teeth grinding or clenching.
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic digestive disease where stomach acid or bile irritates the food pipe lining.
• The relationship between SB and GERD is not fully understood, prompting further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between sleep bruxism (SB) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
• To assess this relationship in a general population using validated questionnaires.
• To determine if a correlation exists between current SB and GERD symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Validated questionnaires, including the Subject-Based Assessment strategy from the Standardized Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism (STAB) and the GERD-Q questionnaire, were used.
• Spearman test was employed to analyze the correlation between current SB and GERD.
• Mann-Whitney-U test was used for group comparisons of GERD symptoms based on SB presence or history.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant but weak positive correlation was observed between current sleep bruxism and GERD (r=0.112, p=0.044).
• No significant differences in GERD-related symptoms were found between groups based on the presence of current SB or a history of SB.

Conclusions:

• The study indicates a weak positive association between current sleep bruxism and GERD symptoms.
• Larger-scale studies utilizing representative samples are recommended to further elucidate this correlation and its clinical implications.