Awake Bruxism Is Unrelated to Smoking, Despite the Different Psychological Status: A Pilot Study

The aim of the present study is to get deeper into the complex interplay that might exist between awake bruxism (AB), tobacco smoking, and anxiety and/or depression symptoms in a group of healthy young adults.

The study participants were recruited by advertising the investigation at the University of Siena, Siena, Italy. The inclusion criteria were being in good general health, without systemic diseases or oral diseases. People with ongoing medical or dental treatment and those with a history of systemic disease or temporomandibular disorders were excluded. The participants who were included in the study received a questionnaire containing three sections for the assessment of AB behaviors, anxiety and depression symptoms, and the number of cigarettes smoked.

A total of 141 healthy young adults met the inclusion criteria. Different awake masticatory muscle activities showed different strengths of association with anxiety and depression symptoms. However, no relationship was found between the number of smoked cigarettes and the frequency of the various masticatory muscle activities considered.

The result of the present study shows no clear-cut association between the frequency of self-reported AB behaviors and smoking in healthy individuals.