title: Therapies most frequently used for the management of bruxism by a sample of German dentists.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  At present, there is little information available on how practicing dentists manage bruxism patients with respect to conservative, reversible techniques as compared to irreversible techniques.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to determine the most commonly applied therapies used for the management of bruxism by German general dentists (GDs) and dental specialists. In addition, efforts were made to gather information on the knowledge and opinion of GDs and specialists regarding the role of occlusal interferences, in particular, on the development of sleep bruxism.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 13-item questionnaire was developed and mailed to all active members of the statutory dental insurance providers of the German North Rhine (n=5500; 2006 roster) and the German Westphalia-Lippe area (n=4984; 2006 roster). Group differences were statistically analyzed using chi-square tests for the qualitative variables and Mann-Whitney U tests for the quantitative variables (α=.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Occlusal splints were by far the most frequently prescribed therapy for the management of bruxism, followed by relaxation techniques, occlusal equilibration, physiotherapy, and prosthodontic reconstruction. The occlusal stabilization splint with canine protected articulation was the splint type most often prescribed, whereas respondents used unadjusted soft splints for approximately 8% of their bruxism patients. Comparison of the opinions of all responding practicing dentists with that of experts in regard to the statement that "sleep bruxism is caused by occlusal interferences" showed a significant difference between the 2 groups (P=.021). Eighty-five percent of the experts disagreed with this statement, and only 47.7% of the practicing dentists had the same opinion as the experts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most practicing dentists seem to concur with current scientific recommendations, and express the opinion that the management of bruxism should predominantly be conservative and reversible; however, the findings of the present survey reveal diverse differences between GDs and dental specialists concerning the most frequently prescribed therapies. Moreover, the discrepancies detected in some areas, such as the use of irreversible techniques or the use of unadjusted soft splints, emphasize the need to more promptly transfer new knowledge in the field of bruxism from researchers to practicing dentists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry, Periodontology and Endodontics, Heinrich-Heine-University, Duesseldorf, Germany. Michelle.Ommerborn@uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ommerborn
authors.forename: Jalleh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taghavi
authors.forename: Preeti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Handschel
authors.forename: Rita A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Depprich
authors.forename: Wolfgang H M
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Raab
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002012:Bruxism / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D003757:Dental Implantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003769:Dental Occlusion, Traumatic / Q000150:complications; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D004497:Education, Dental; D005260:Female; D005792:General Practice, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019558:Occlusal Adjustment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017090:Occlusal Splints / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D009970:Orthodontics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012064:Relaxation Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020186:Sleep Bruxism / Q000209:etiology; D013039:Specialties, Dental / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013515:Surgery, Oral / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires