Sleep bruxism frequently observed in children

—New gastroenterological approach—

Abstract

Sleep bruxism frequently observed in children is defined as a stereotyped movement disorder characterized by tooth grinding and clenching during sleep. It often causes abnormal tooth wear, fracture, hypersensitivity, masticatory muscle discomfort, pain and/or TMD. It has been considered to be a parafunction in dentistry and it has also been placed in the parasomnia section according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders. Recently, we reported that swallowing and gastroesophageal reflux (GER) might be associated with sleep bruxism. In this review article, I describe the definition of bruxism along with its diagnostic criteria, pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, hypothesis for cause, associated factors including our new findings such as swallowing and GER.