Sleep bruxism (SB) – a repetitive activity of the jaw muscles characterized by clenching or grinding of the teeth during sleep – may be a risk factor for the development of other sleep-related disorders, according to the findings of ” a study published in Sleep medicine.

With a prevalence of over 10% in adult populations, SB has been associated with several adverse symptoms, including waking headaches, temporomandibular pain, and severe mechanical tooth wear.

Additionally, the researchers note that previous research has suggested that the genesis of SB events may be preceded by a cascade of events related to awakenings from sleep, which have been linked to other sleep-related disorders, such as Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and Epilepsy. .

“However, systematic reviews on SB as a comorbidity of other sleep-related disorders have been lacking so far. Such reviews would contribute to sleep clinicians’ understanding of the onset of SB in patients with AS. ‘other sleep-related disorders, as well as the mechanisms underlying these co-morbid associations,’ they said.

Seeking to determine the prevalence of BS in adult patients with other sleep-related disorders, as well as to identify the potential underlying mechanisms of these associations, they conducted a systematic review of relevant studies published in the databases. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science data. until May 15, 2020.

Using the Risk of bias assessment tool for assessing the quality of Non-randomized studies, 1,539 studies were collected, of which 37 qualified for the full-text reading phase and subsequent systematic review.

In the review, the prevalence of BS was found to be significantly higher in adult patients with OSA, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements during sleep, sleep-related gastroesophageal reflux disease, REM behavior disorder (RBD) and sleep-related epilepsy, compared with the general population.

Other associations with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been identified in people with SB, but the specific mechanisms behind this and other positive associations could not be identified.

“Although the specific mechanisms behind associations between BS and other sleep-related disorders have yet to be identified, given all the available evidence, sleep arousals may be a common factor affecting all of us. the identified disorders are associated, with the exception of RBD and PD, ”the authors wrote.

The researchers concluded that associations between SB and these sleep-related disorders call for more screening for SB in patients with these conditions. In addition, they recommended that medical specialists increase awareness of SB as a potential indicator of sleep-related disorders and advocate for closer collaboration between medical specialists and dental practitioners.

Reference

Kuang B, Li D, Lobbezoo F, et al. Associations between sleep bruxism and other sleep-related disorders in adults: a systematic review. Sleep Med. Published online November 19, 2021. doi: 10.1016 / j.sleep.2021.11.008