Awake and Sleep Bruxism Prevalence and Their Associated Psychological Factors in First-Year University Students: A Pre-Mid-Post COVID-19 Pandemic Comparison.

There is a broad consensus accepting that psychological variables such as stress, anxiety, or depression play an important role in bruxism. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in stress, anxiety, and depression levels. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on possible awake and sleep bruxism prevalence and on the psychological factors associated with bruxism, comparing pre-pandemic, pandemic/lockdown, and post-pandemic samples of first-year students. A total of 274 dentistry students from the Complutense University of Madrid participated in the study: 92 from 2018/2019 (pre-pandemic), 90 from 2020/2021 (pandemic), and 92 students from 2021/2022 (post-pandemic) academic years. The participants filled out a thorough battery of validated questionnaires evaluating bruxism and different psychological characteristics, such as anxiety, depression, somatization, personality, and stress coping styles. While sleep bruxism prevalence was significantly higher for the pandemic group, awake bruxism was smaller in comparison to pre-pandemic and post-pandemic groups. The post-pandemic group also presented higher levels of neuroticism and agreeableness personality traits, and positive reappraisal than the pre-pandemic group, with the pandemic group somewhere in between. Additionally, both the pandemic and post-pandemic group showed higher levels of depression and acceptance/resignation coping styles than the pre-pandemic group. Thus, among the three groups of students, the post-pandemic group was the one that showed a larger effect of the pandemic situation in their psychological variables, presenting higher levels of anxiety (state and trait), depression, acceptation/resignation coping style, higher neuroticism (emotional instability trait), and lower agreeableness trait. Nonetheless, the increase of positive reappraisal in the post-pandemic group (an adaptive coping stress style) might be also a sign of recovery. The higher sleep bruxism for the pandemic group might be related to the pandemic situation and lockdown, passively suffered, possibly promoting feelings of impotency, increased levels of depression and acceptance/resignation (normally considered a passive/maladaptive coping style), while acute stressful situations derived from daily personal social interactions might have increased anxiety levels and induced higher levels of awake bruxism observed in both the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic groups. However, further research, including larger and more representative samples, is needed to confirm this possible relationship.

Investigation of Sleep and Awake Bruxism Habit Experienced by People Who Quarantined Different Places During the COVID-19 Pandemic Running title: Investigation of Sleep and Awake Bruxism During the COVID-19 Pandemic (preprint)

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate sleep and awake bruxism habit experienced by people who quarantined different places during the COVID-19 pandemic in the TRNC.Material and Methods A 25-question self-reported questionnaire was sent to the patients' mobile phones to measure their demographic information, the level of bruxism habits which they experienced before and during their quarantine period while sleeping and awake, and asked to answer. The answers were evaluated statistically by percentage and chi-square test.Results 241 people participated in our research. During the quarantine period, there was an increase in awake bruxism and a slight decrease in sleep bruxism. While the feelings worried, scared, panic and hopelessness felt by the participants in the first days of the quarantine decreased in the last days of the quarantine but calm was increased regardless of the place and length of stay in the quarantine. Teeth clenching, teeth grinding and earache were mostly seen in those who stayed in dormitory quarantine.Conclusion People's anxiety is increasing in the COVID-19 pandemic and there is a positive correlation between anxiety and both sleep and awake bruxism. Dentists should pay more attention to the signs of bruxism during the examination, especially from people who say that they are in quarantine during the anamnesis. Although the reason for the patient's visit to the doctor may seem like just a simple toothache, the underlying factors such as clenching should not be forgotten with a holistic approach and awareness should be created for the patient.

Associations between Bruxism, Stress, and Manifestations of Temporomandibular Disorder in Young Students.

Bruxism is a repetitive activity of the masticatory muscles, which determine teeth grinding or clenching, associated with rigidity, bracing, or thrusting of the mandibula. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of possible bruxism in 328 students attending the Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, and its associations with stress and other manifestations of the temporo-mandibular disorder. This was a questionnaire-based study to collect information on self-evaluation of bruxism presence, frequency of specific episodes, stress, anxiety, and other manifestations of temporo-mandibular disorder. Self-evaluated bruxism was identified in 39.33% from the entire study group, allowing us to define two subgroups for further analysis. Sleep bruxism was present in 16.28% of participants; awake bruxism was present in 68.99%, while 14.73% of participants presented a combined form. The main manifestation of bruxism was reported as teeth grinding. Fatigue was identified as a common clinical sign of bruxism and temporo-mandibular disorder. Group distribution analysis (Chi-Square) indicated significant associations between bruxism and stress, panic, restlessness, or increased stress during the COVID-19 pandemic (p < 0.05). Bruxism, and especially awake bruxism, has increased in prevalence among young students, and it has been associated with increased levels of stress.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep quality and sleep bruxism in children eight to ten years of age.

This study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep quality and possible sleep bruxism (SB) in children eight to ten years of age. The study hypothesis was that sleep disturbances influenced a higher occurrence of bruxism during the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal study was conducted at two time points: in person prior to the COVID-19 pandemic (T1), and online during the pandemic (T2). The sample comprised 105 children. Parents/caregivers answered a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic characteristics, the use of electronic devices, reported (vs. clinical) SB, and the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) at both T1 and T2. McNemar's and Wilcoxon's tests were used to compare SB and sleep disorders at both time points. Poisson regression analysis determined the relative risk (RR) among the variables, and the incidence of possible SB (p≤0.05). The comparison of the two time points (T1 and T2) revealed a significant increase in possible SB (p<0.01) and sleep disorders (p < 0.04). Children whose parents had a lower schooling level (RR: 2.67; 95%CI: 1.19-6.01), those with their own electronic devices (RR: 1.97; 95%CI: 1.09-2.50), and those with sleep disorders during the pandemic (RR: 1.74; 95%CI: 1.35-2.24) were at greater risk of developing SB during the pandemic. Moreover, the incidence of bruxism and sleep disorders was greater during the pandemic. The factors influencing SB incidence during the pandemic were a lower level of mothers' schooling, greater access to electronic devices, and the occurrence of sleep disorders.

Association of sleep quality and psychological aspects with reports of bruxism and TMD in Brazilian dentists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Dentists are exposed to contamination by SARS-CoV-2 due to dental interventions, leading to a state of alert and potential risk of negative impact in mental health and sleep quality, associated with Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) and bruxism. OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the psychosocial status, sleep quality, symptoms of TMD, and bruxism in Brazilian dentists (DSs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODOLOGY: The sample (n=641 DSs) was divided into three groups (quarantined DSs; DSs in outpatient care; and frontline professionals), which answered an electronic form containing the TMD Pain Screening Questionnaire (Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders - DC/TMD), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the sleep and awake bruxism questionnaire. ANOVA test and Mann Whitney post-test were used, with Bonferroni adjustment (p<0.016) and a 95% confidence level. RESULTS: Probable TMD was found in 24.3% (n=156) of the participants, while possible sleep and awake bruxism were diagnosed in 58% (n=372) and 53.8% (n=345) of them, respectively. Among all variables evaluated, only symptoms of depression were significantly greater in the quarantined DSs group when compared to those who were working at the clinical care (p=0.002). Working DSs were significantly less likely (OR=0.630, p=0.001) to have depressive symptoms. Those who were not worried or less worried about the pandemic were less likely to experience stress (OR=0.360), anxiety (OR=0.255), and poor sleep quality (OR=0.256). Sleep had a strong positive and moderate correlation with psychological factors on frontline workers and DSs in outpatient care, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results suggest confinement may have a more negative impact on the life of DSs than the act of being actively working. The concern about Covid-19 and poor sleep quality was significantly prevalent and may negatively affect the quality of life of DSs. Thus, further research on the topic is needed.