Pressure Algometry Evaluation of Two Occlusal Splint Designs in Bruxism Management-Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial.

Bartosz Dalewski,Agata Kamińska,Paweł Kiczmer,Łukasz Pałka,Krzysztof Węgrzyn,Katarzyna Janda,Ewa Sobolewska

doi:10.3390/jcm10112342

Bartosz Dalewski, Agata Kamińska + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10112342

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Abstract

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the short-term effectiveness of two different occlusal devices and their impact on the pressure pain threshold (PPT) values among patients who reported to the Dental Prosthetics Outpatient Clinic of Pomeranian Medical University (Szczecin, Poland) and who were diagnosed with probable bruxism. Two groups were formed (A and B) to which patients were assigned randomly. Each group used a different occlusal splint for bruxism management. The occlusal appliance by Okeson, or the bimaxillary splint, was used overnight by each patient for 30 days of the study. The PPT was measured twice, at the first visit and after 30 days of using each occlusal device, with Wagner Paintest FPX 25 algometer. Bruxism was diagnosed based on data from the patient’s medical history and from the physical examination. Nocturnal Bruxism Criteria according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (Third Edition) was used for the patient’s evaluation. Results: similar pain factor (PF) reduction was observed in both the examined groups, regardless of the device used; canine guidance and no guidance were similarly effective in terms of increasing pain resilience.

Highlights

According to the glossary of Prosthodontic Terms, bruxism is described as the parafunctional grinding of teeth or an oral habit consisting of the repetitive, nonfunctional gnashing or clenching of teeth other than when chewing, which may lead to occlusal trauma [1]
The most common symptoms of awake bruxism include an unpleasant noise made by tooth grinding, jaw muscle pain or stiffness, headache, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) noise, difficulty when moving the mandible, tooth hypersensitivity, tooth chipping and cervical defects [5]
A significant group effect was found in almost all measurements excluding MTMR, MTPR, sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) and C7

Summary

Introduction

According to the glossary of Prosthodontic Terms, bruxism is described as the parafunctional grinding of teeth or an oral habit consisting of the repetitive, nonfunctional gnashing or clenching of teeth other than when chewing, which may lead to occlusal trauma [1]. Another definition of bruxism provided by the International Classification of Sleep Disorders Third Edition (ICDS-3) refers to it as a sleep-related movement disorder. The most common symptoms of awake bruxism include an unpleasant noise made by tooth grinding, jaw muscle pain or stiffness, headache, TMJ noise, difficulty when moving the mandible, tooth hypersensitivity, tooth chipping and cervical defects [5]. Correlations between sleep bruxism, hypertension, sleep apnea and the cervical spine are the subjects of extensive investigations, yet without tangible evidence between these symptoms [14,15,16]

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