Sleep bruxism in children main methods of treatment: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Abstract

Sleep bruxism is both masticatory muscle activities characterized by repeated or prolonged tooth contact as well as bracing or thrusting of the jaw. This meta-analysis evaluates the differences between sexes and which therapy is most effective in treating bruxism. A literature search was performed on PubMed, Lilacs, Web of Science and Scopus, and articles published from 2000 to 2022 were considered according to the keywords entered. The term "Bruxism" has been combined with "Children" using the boolean connector AND. At the end of the research, 1462 studies were identified from the search conducted on the three engines. Only four were chosen to draw up the present systematic study. The Forrest plot found that photo biomodulation therapy has a higher efficacy (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.10; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) from 0.03 to 0.43), followed by treatment with hydroxyzine (OR 0.19; 95% CI from 0.03 to 1.04). The average between girls and boys with bruxism is 18.5 for boys and 19.5 for girls. This meta-analysis showed that treatment by photobiomodulation has more significant effects on bruxism, followed by treatment with hydroxyisalazine. However, this meta-analysis has limitations due to the diversity of treatment evaluation methods.

Keywords: Bruxism; Children; Masseters; Masticatory muscles; TMD; Temporomandibular disorder; Treatment.