title: Community based study of sleep bruxism during early childhood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aims for this study were to determine the prevalence of sleep-bruxism among young children, explore child behavior problems that may be associated with sleep-bruxism, and identify relations among sleep-bruxism, health problems, and neurocognitive performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current study was a retrospective analysis of parent report surveys, and behavioral and neurocognitive assessments. Parents of 1953 preschool and 2888 first grade children indicated their child's frequency of bruxism during sleep. A subsample of preschool children (n=249) had additional behavioral, as well as neurocognitive assessments. Among the subsample, parents also reported on their child's health, and completed the Child Behavioral Checklist; children were administered the Differential Ability Scales, and Pre-Reading Abilities subtests of the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  36.8% of preschoolers and 49.6% of first graders were reported to brux ⩾1time per week. Among the preschool subsample, bruxing was independently associated with increased internalizing behaviors (β=.17). Bruxism was also associated with increased health problems (β=.19), and increased health problems were associated with decreased neurocognitive performance (β=.22).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of sleep-bruxism was high. A dynamic and potentially clinically relevant relation exists among sleep-bruxism, internalizing behaviors, health, and neurocognition. Pediatric sleep-bruxism may serve as a sentinel marker for possible adverse health conditions, and signal a need for early intervention. These results support the need for an interdisciplinary approach to pediatric sleep medicine, dentistry, and psychology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6040, USA.
authors.forename: Salvatore P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Insana
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gozal
authors.forename: Daniel W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: McNeil
authors.forename: Hawley E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Montgomery-Downs
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011204:Poverty Areas; D020186:Sleep Bruxism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic