The prevalence of bruxism and oral parafunction activities among Israeli juveniles with autism spectrum disorder: A preliminary study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the prevalence of oral habits, bruxism, and Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) injuvenileswithautisticspectrumdisorder(ASD). Methods Data included 165 juveniles diagnosed with ASD, allocated to younger group aged 6 21 (n=86) and older group aged 13-21 (n=79). Results Sleep bruxism was reported by 26.7% in the younger group and by 5% in the older group. Awake bruxism was reported by 22% and 17.7%, respectively. Oral habits were reported by 43% of all participants, with similar rate in both groups. TMD related p ain was low in both groups (6.3% and 7% respectively). The influence of the COVID 19 pandemic on oral parafunction was moderate in the younger group (17.4%) and mild in the older group (8.6%), influence on bruxism was mild in both groups (5.8% and 2.5%, respectively). Conclusion The prevalence of bruxism and oral parafunctions was similar to the reported in the literature for the general population.