Is there an association between bruxism and intestinal parasitic infestation in children?
OBJECTIVE
Multiple factors have been considered in the etiology of bruxism in pediatric patients, among which are infestations by intestinal parasites suggested by some authors. No empirical evidence exists, however, of such association. Therefore, this study's purpose was to investigate the existence of an association between bruxism and intestinal parasitic infestation in children.


METHODS
Fifty-seven 6- to 11-year-olds (30 cases and 27 controls) who had not used anthelminthics 2 months before the baseline examination were enrolled in the study. A diagnosis of bruxism was based on an intraoral clinical examination performed by a single trained examiner and on the parent/guardian's report of any perceived parafunctional habits (questionnaire-based interview). Bruxism cases were defined as those children with a report of currently perceived habits of eccentric or centric bruxism (tooth-grinding and tooth-clenching, respectively) combined with clinical evidence of nonphysiologic wear facets. The volunteers were required to collect 3 fecal samples (1 every 2 to 3 days). Parasitologic analysis was performed using the spontaneous sedimentation method. Data gathered from the intraoral clinical examination, questionnaire, and parasitologic analysis were tabulated and submitted to statistical analysis using the chi-square test and student's t test.


RESULTS
Intestinal parasitic infestation was observed in 30% (N=9) of cases and 41% (N=11) of controls, but no statistically significant association was observed (P=.40).


CONCLUSIONS
This study's findings do not support the existence of an association between intestinal parasitic infestation and bruxism among the evaluated pediatric population.
Díaz-Serrano
Kranya Victoria
KV
Department of Pediatric Clinics, Preventive and Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. dkranya@forp.usp.br
da Silva
Carolina Brunelli Alvares
CB
de Albuquerque
Sérgio
S
Pereira Saraiva
Maria da Conceição
Mda C
Nelson-Filho
Paulo
P
D002012:Bruxism / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires