Associations of Self-Reported Bruxism With Clinical Parameters, Perceived Stress, and Temporomandibular Disorders in Dental Students.

Background

Bruxism has been assessed using heterogeneous methods across studies. The Bruxism Screener provides a standardized approach, but clinical studies using this tool remain limited. Moreover, factors influencing self-reported bruxism in individuals with clinical bruxism signs remain unclear.

Objectives

This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the frequency of clinical signs identified by the BruxScreen and to examine whether self-reported bruxism was associated with these signs, perceived stress, temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms, and orofacial pain intensity in dental students with clinical signs of bruxism.

Methods

A total of 163 dental students presenting with clinical signs of bruxism completed a demographic questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale, Fonseca Anamnestic Index, and a visual analogue scale for orofacial pain intensity, and underwent clinical evaluation using the Bruxism Screener. Participants were categorized into self-report-positive and self-report-negative groups according to subject-based assessment. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U, Fisher's exact tests, and logistic regression.

Results

The frequencies of clinical signs were as follows: tooth wear (98%), masseter muscle hypertrophy (71%), linea alba (63%), and tongue indentations (50%). No significant differences were found between groups in either the number of clinical signs or the frequency of any individual clinical sign. Orofacial pain intensity (OR = 2.8) and TMD symptoms (OR = 5.8) were significant independent predictors of self-reported bruxism.

Conclusion

Tooth wear was the most frequently observed clinical sign. Self-reported bruxism was associated with orofacial pain intensity and TMD symptoms, but not with clinical bruxism signs, suggesting that subject-based data and clinical assessment may reflect different aspects of bruxism.