Abstract
Purpose: The prevalence and etiology of bruxism in patients who are unaware of this condition are unclear. Therefore we investigated the relationship between the consciousness of bruxism and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) in dental students.
Method: A total of 256 students from the Department of Dentistry at Iwate Medical University who had no pre-existing medical conditions or history of TMDs were included in the study. First-grade students were given a questionnaire to complete and underwent clinical examinations of the mandibular function. This was repeated after 2.5 years (fourth-grade students) and again at five years (sixth-grade students).
Results: Of the initial 256 students, 90 were investigated over a 5-year period. During this period, an awareness of bruxism was reported in 32.1% of the sixth graders as teeth being "clenched", in 20.5% of fourth graders, and in 14.2% of first graders. The feguency of this awareness increased as the students grew older. Moreover, the consciousness of "ground teeth" also rose similarly. The sixth-grade students were more aware of a relationship between bruxism and TMDs.
Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that most people are unlikely to be conscious of bruxism, and that only by clinical investigation and use of a questionnaire is bruxism diagnosed. The results are important because bruxism is thought to be a contributing factor to TMDs.
