ABSTRACT
The aim of the study was to assess the structure of perception in people with bruxism. 50 people with a diagnosis of bruxism (B), in whom primary evidence of oclusal disharmony and temporomandibular disorders were excluded, were included in the study. The control group (C) consisted of 50 people with no evidence of parafunctional abnormalities of the chewing mechanism. Shalit's diagram was used to assess the structure of perception. The primary indices: discriminability (D), articulation (A), affective load+ (AL+) and affective load- (AL-) and secondary indices: reduction (R), emotionality (E), intensity (I) were derived from Shalit's diagram. A significant reduction in the mean value of the primary indices D and AL+ was noted, as well as in the secondary indices E and I in people with bruxism, in comparison to the control group. Assessment of the structure of perception in people with bruxism through the analysis of the primary and secondary indices, makes it possible to predict behavior which has a negative effect on the individual's own health and provides the opportunity for changing such behavior to be more pro-health oriented.