Occlusion time analysis in military pilots affected by bruxism

Alessandro Nota,Clementina Cioffi,Simona Tecco,Alessandro Beraldi,Alberto Baldini,Johnny Padulo

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-38166-2

Abstract

Military pilots are characterized by peculiar job conditions related to intense accelerative stresses. For this, they frequently report work-related neck and back pain and are affected by bruxism. The aim of this case-control study is to analyze the occlusion time (OT) in a sample of military pilots affected by bruxism, compared with healthy non-pilot subjects. 14 military pilots, all males (mean age 35.14 ± 2.32 y), affected by bruxism, were compared with an age matched control group of 14 male subjects (mean age 32.29 ± 4.84 y). The T-Scan computerized occlusal analysis system (Tek-Scan Inc., Boston, MA, USA) was used to record the subjects’ occlusion times during 4 mandibular opening-closing movements. Military pilots affected by bruxism showed a statistically significant lower (reduced of 85%) mean OT, compared with control subjects (p < 0.0001). Military pilots are characterized by a highly reduced occlusion time compared to healthy non-pilot subjects. This feature could not be only related with the presence of bruxism but with their particular clinical job-related condition that causes different dental and stomatognathic system problems. Further studies are encouraged to enhance the scientific knowledge in this field.

Highlights

Military pilots are characterized by peculiar pathological conditions related with their daily exposition to intense accelerative stresses[1,2]
Probably because of the physical and psychological stresses related with their employment, military pilots are frequently affected by bruxism, disorder characterized by grinding and clenching of the teeth occurring without a functional purpose[8,9,10]
Should be important to assess if military pilots could present job-related adaptations of the stomatognathic apparatus performing an accurate analysis of dental occlusion of these subjects

Summary

Introduction

Military pilots are characterized by peculiar pathological conditions related with their daily exposition to intense accelerative stresses[1,2]. Probably because of the physical and psychological stresses related with their employment, military pilots are frequently affected by bruxism, disorder characterized by grinding and clenching of the teeth occurring without a functional purpose[8,9,10]. This was clearly showed in a study published by Lurie et al.[11] reporting that 69% of Israel military aircrew is affected by bruxism, and could frequently need a treatment with occlusal splints[12]. By temporomandibular disorders (TMD) have longer OT compared with healthy subjects suggesting that the presence of TMD is associated with a lower occlusal stability, while another study by Gumus et al.[25] investigated the effect of an occlusal splint treatment in subjects affected by bruxism on the occlusion time and other T-Scan parameters and observed the absence of influence of bruxism on the occlusion time

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion