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Prevalence of Bruxism in Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Alka Daby Nascimento de Sales1, Renata de Albuquerque Cavalcanti Almeida2, Anila Thais Lucena Barbosa1
1Postgraduate Program in Hebiatrics - Determinants of Health in Adolescents, University of Pernambuco (UPE), Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Background:
Bruxism is a behaviour that can be associated with negative health consequences, which may be exacerbated in athletes due to their exposure to anxiety situations during pre-competition and competition periods.
Objective:
This study aimed to synthesise available scientific evidence investigating the prevalence of sleep and/or awake bruxism in athletes.
Methods:
This study followed PRISMA and PROSPERO (under number CRD42022301596). A literature search was conducted in 10 databases and grey literature. There were no restrictions on time or language, and observational studies demonstrating the prevalence of possible, probable, and/or definite sleep and/or awake bruxism in athletes and para-athletes, including both athletes and para-athletes from competitive categories, were included. No limitations were applied regarding the type of athlete, sport, age, or category (amateur or professional). The Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal Tool was used to assess the risk of bias in the selected studies.
Results:
A total of 1214 studies were identified, and 23 studies were included in the review. There was a predominance of cross-sectional studies (n = 16), with the number of athletes ranging from 20 to 370; the majority were male. Most studies have addressed bruxism generally without differentiating between awake and sleep bruxism (n = 14). The meta-analysis estimated the overall prevalence of bruxism in athletes at 34% (95% CI = 0.26-0.42), being higher in the subgroup of athletes (0.36; 95% CI = 0.27-0.47) than in para-athletes (0.27; 95% CI = 0.19-0.38).
Conclusion:
This study provided an estimate of the overall prevalence of bruxism in athletes and para-athletes, although it was not possible to determine this prevalence by sex, age, category, and sports discipline because of the limited number of studies reporting this prevalence separately. Regarding bruxism assessment, clinical examinations and questionnaires were used, with the majority using self-report questionnaires.
