ReviewRisk factors related to sleep bruxism in children: A systematic literature review

- Literature was systematically reviewed to identify risk factors for sleep bruxism.
- Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions was used for the review.
- A multifactorial model for risk factors related to sleep bruxism was found.
- Second-hand smoke and sleep disturbances had strong association with sleep bruxism.
- The evidence emerged from the considered studies was clinically relevant.

ObjectiveThe aim of this article was to systematically review the literature to identify papers dealing with risk factors associated with sleep bruxism (SB) in children.DesignA systematic search was carried out based on the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trial Register and Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, LILACs, SciELO. Studies investigating risk factors related to SB after multiple regression analysis and bruxism symptoms assessed with clinical diagnosis or specific questionnaires were searched. Six out of the 4546 initially identified studies were selected.This review was conducted according to the guidelines from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, with reporting in agreement to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines.ResultsAmong the six analyzed articles, one randomized clinical trial (RCT) suggested the increase of SB in heavily exposed patients to second hand smoke (SHS) (OR = 4.5, CI = 2.2-9.4), two cross-sectional studies suggested neuroticism as determinant factor for the development of sleep bruxism (OR = 1.9, CI = 1.3-2.6), among children and three case-control studies suggested that children with sleep disturbances were more likely to have SB (OR = 3.3, CI = 1.6-6.6). Parafunctional behaviours (OR = 2.3, CI = 1.2-4.3) had a moderate association.ConclusionsSHS and sleep disturbances presented the strongest association with SB. The most recurrent source of bias was the lack of blinding procedures. Furthermore, the use of reliable SB diagnostic procedures should be recommended to increase the quality of future studies. The evidence emerged from the considered studies was clinically relevant.