Associations of reported bruxism with insomnia and insufficient sleep symptoms among media personnel with or without irregular shift work

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aims were to investigate the prevalence of perceived sleep quality and insufficient sleep complaints, and to analyze whether self-reported bruxism was associated with perceptions of sleep, and awake consequences of disturbed sleep, while controlling confounding factors relative to poor sleep.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A standardized questionnaire was mailed to all employees of the Finnish Broadcasting Company with irregular shift work (n = 750) and to an equal number of randomly selected controls in the same company with regular eight-hour daytime work.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The response rate in the irregular shift work group was 82.3% (56.6% men) and in the regular daytime work group 34.3% (46.7% men). Self-reported bruxism occurred frequently (often or continually) in 10.6% of all subjects. Altogether 16.8% reported difficulties initiating sleep (DIS), 43.6% disrupted sleep (DS), and 10.3% early morning awakenings (EMA). The corresponding figures for non-restorative sleep (NRS), tiredness, and sleep deprivation (SLD) were 36.2%, 26.1%, and 23.7%, respectively. According to logistic regression, female gender was a significant independent factor for all insomnia symptoms, and older age for DS and EMA. Frequent bruxism was significantly associated with DIS (p = 0.019) and DS (p = 0.021). Dissatisfaction with current work shift schedule and frequent bruxism were both significant independent factors for all variables describing insufficient sleep consequences.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Self-reported bruxism may indicate sleep problems and their adherent awake consequences in non-patient populations.</p

Retrospective examination of the healthcare 'journey' of chronic orofacial pain patients referred to oral and maxillofacial surgery

Objective To gain a deeper understanding of the clinical journey taken by orofacial pain patients from initial presentation in primary care to treatment by oral and maxillofacial surgery.Design Retrospective audit.Sample and methods Data were collected from 101 consecutive patients suffering from chronic orofacial pain, attending oral and maxillofacial surgery clinics between 2009 and 2010. Once the patients were identified, information was drawn from their hospital records and referral letters, and a predesigned proforma was completed by a single examiner (EVB). Basic descriptive statistics and non-parametric inferential statistical techniques (Krushal-Wallis) were used to analyse the data.Data and discussion Six definitive orofacial pain conditions were represented in the data set, 75% of which were temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Individuals within our study were treated in nine different hospital settings and were referred to 15 distinct specialties. The mean number of consultations received by the patients in our study across all care settings is seven (SD 5). The mean number of specialities that the subjects were assessed by was three (SD 1). The sample set had a total of 341 treatment attempts to manage their chronic orofacial pain conditions, of which only 83 (24%) of all the treatments attempted yielded a successful outcome.Conclusion Improved education and remuneration for primary care practitioners as well as clear care pathways for patients with chronic orofacial pain should be established to reduce multiple re-referrals and improve efficiency of care. The creation of specialist regional centres for chronic orofacial pain may be considered to manage severe cases and drive evidence-based practice

Prevalence of malocclusion, oral parafunctions and temporomandibular disorder‐pain in Italian schoolchildren: An epidemiological study

Background The prevalence of malocclusion, temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and oral parafunctions is highly debated in children population. Objectives To investigate the prevalence of malocclusion, self-reported oral parafunctions and TMD-pain in Italian schoolchildren and to assess the association between the examined factors. Methods A total of 700 children aged 9-11 years were selected among six public schools in Campania region (Italy). Molar relationship, overjet, overbite and cross-bite were assessed through a clinical examination. Furthermore, the subjects were demanded to fill in a validated questionnaire for TMD-pain screening and the short form of the Oral Behaviours Checklist. Descriptive statistics were used to report the frequencies. The associations between occlusal traits, oral parafunctions and TMD-pain were analysed with a Pearson chi-square test, as expressed by odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals. The significance level was set at P &lt; 0.05. Results Molar Class I was the most frequently encountered molar relationship, followed by molar Class II, subdivision and molar Class III. Increased overjet was more common than negative overjet. Posterior cross-bite was observed in 12% of children. TMD-pain was recorded in 14.7% of subjects. High frequency of oral parafunctions was reported in 21.3% of subjects. A significant association was found between TMD-pain and negative overbite. Cross-bite and high frequency of oral parafunctions were associated with TMD-pain. Conclusion The current results show that malocclusion, self-reported oral parafunctions and TMD-pain are frequent findings among Italian schoolchildren and that some occlusal factors and high frequency of oral parafunctions might be associated with TMD-pain