Relationship between stress and sleep bruxism in children and their mothers: A case control study

INTRODUCTION: Sleep bruxism (SB) is a frequent condition in children. Its pathophysiology involves certain neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, noradrenalin, histamine), but the environment seems to influence its occurrence. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of SB in children and their biological mothers, relating it to stress through a case control study. METHODS AND MATERIAL: The group of cases (SG) was composed of 48 subjects, including 24 children with SB and their mothers, and the control group (CG), formed by 36 children without SB and their mothers. The chi-Square test was used and the probability was computed with 95% confidence intervals (p<0.05). Results: The prevalence of probable awareness of SB in children was 22.6%, while it was 30.8% among caregivers. There were no significant associations between the socio-demographic variables and SB. There was an increase in the occurrence of SB in children (p=0.02) when their caregiver also had this condition. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological stress did not establish a significant relationship with SB in either the child or their mothers.