Abstract
BackgroundThe study of potential factors associated with sleep bruxism (SB) may help in determining the etiology of such parafunction. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) of children with SB by means of a generic scale, in addition to the association of sociodemographic characteristics and other parafunctional habits.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included healthy children of both genders, aged 7.18 ± 0.59 years, with (n = 25) and without (n = 69) signs and symptoms of SB. Data were collected in caries-free children from public schools by applying a translated and validated version of the Autoquestionnaire Qualite de Vie Enfant Image (AUQUEI), clinical examination and interview with the parents. The psychometric properties evaluated for the scale referred to internal consistency (ceiling and floor effects, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, Items Correlation Matrix, and corrected Item-Total Correlation) and the discriminant validity (t-test). By means of logistic regression with stepwise backward elimination, associations were evaluated between SB and age, gender, body mass index, maternal use of alcohol/tobacco/medicine during pregnancy, maternal age at birth, parent's schooling, presence of sucking habit, nail biting, enuresis, number of children, child's order (first born), occurrence of divorce/parent's death, and AUQUEI scores.ResultsThe results of the AUQUEI psychometric analysis showed homogeneity of items and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.65; no negative correlations between the items were found. The mean AUQUEI scores for children with SB did not differ significantly from those of children without the parafunction. Only the independent variable "maternal age at birth" showed a significant negative association with SB.ConclusionsIn the studied sample, children with SB presented scores of QoL that were similar to those without the parafunction, and children from the youngest mothers were more likely to present SB.
Highlights
The study of potential factors associated with sleep bruxism (SB) may help in determining the etiology of such parafunction
Emotional disturbances have classically been considered to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of parafunctions such as bruxism and nail biting, persistence of sucking habits and parasomnias
Bruxism consists of a stereotyped movement disorder characterized by grinding or clenching of the teeth and can occur during sleep as well as during wakefulness
Summary
The study of potential factors associated with sleep bruxism (SB) may help in determining the etiology of such parafunction. According to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, second edition (ICSD-2), SB is listed in the new sleep-related movement disorders category, and is defined as "an oral parafunction characterized by grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep that is associ-. The Autoquestionnaire Qualité de Vie Enfant Imagé (AUQUEI) is a generic instrument that intends to measure all dimensions of health-related quality of life, and can be applied to healthy populations as well as any clinical population regardless of the type of medical condition. It has been validated and translated for the Brazilian population by Assumpção Jr. et al [4]. This instrument demonstrated adequate psychometric properties and was sufficiently sensitive to distinguish sick children from healthy ones [4,5,6,7,8,9]
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