Search

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of self-assessed bruxism, the level of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and their relationship in a group of male inmates. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN, SETTING: The present study was cross-sectional, its setting was two penal institutions in Italy., Participants: A sample of 280 male prisoners (mean age 39.7 years). Due to the very small number of female prisoners, it was not possible to study both genders., Interventions and Main Outcome Measures: Subjects were administered a questionnaire with items investigating demographic data, self-assessed bruxism and HRQoL using EuroQoL EQ-5D instrument., Results: Bruxism was present in 29.7% of inmates. Results for EQ-5D (in brackets are data for the general population age and gender matched) were: EQ-index 1.3 (0.8), EQ-VAS 62 (80). Percentage reporting a problem for each dimension: Mobility (MO): 7.5 (9.6), Self Care (SC): 6.1 (4.3), Usual Activities (UA): 17.9 (10.1), Pain/discomfort (PD): 43.9 (40.8), Anxiety/depression (AD): 54.6 (31.9). There was a strong correlation between bruxism and EQ-index, showing concordance and dependence and, as expected, discordance and dependence between bruxism and EQ-VAS., Conclusion: Bruxism prevalence is higher and HRQoL is worse in the prison population than in the general population; the presence of bruxism is correlated with lower HRQoL levels, and correlation is stronger for subjects at first prison experience and for higher education levels, thus suggesting higher effect of stress on these subjects.

Background: The etiopathogenesis of bruxism in children is not clear although different authors would associate it with several factors, changes in dentition, malocclusions, certain parasomnias and most notably emotional stress. This study was performed to test the hypothesis that anxiety states measured by "Anxiety Scale for evolutive age" may affect the development of bruxism., Methods: A total of eighty-six children, aged between 7 and 1, were evaluated. In the study-group were enlisted forty-three children with bruxism selected among patients afferent to the paediatric dentistry clinic. The forty-three non bruxer children, the control group, were chosen through the Pair Matching procedures, so that each bruxer child had a matching age case control. The gravity of bruxism was scored by means of 0 to 3 graduated scale of dental wear. The psychological aspects were estimated by means of an Anxiety Scale for evolutive age. Statistical analysis was undertaken using the "Odds Ratio" on statistically significant values. The most significant level was evaluated by the Mc Nemar test., Results: Remarkable differences in anxiety levels were found among the children of the two groups; 72% of bruxers showed significant anxiety scores versus 12% of non bruxers. The results of Odds Ratio reveal that a bruxer child has a 16 times greater probability to be anxious than an non bruxer one., Conclusions: The data provide support for the concept that anxiety state is a prominent factor in the development of bruxing behaviour in children.