Sleep bruxism in children and adolescents

Bruxism is a rhythmic masticatory muscle activity, characterized by teeth grinding and clenching. This is a phenomenon mainly regulated by the central nervous system and peripherally influenced. It has two circadian manifestations, during sleep (sleep bruxism) and awake states (awake bruxism). Bruxism is much more than just tooth wearing. It is currently linked to orofacial pain; headaches; sleep disorders; sleep breathing disorders, such as apnea and hypopnea sleep syndrome; behavior disorders, or those associated with the use of medications. It is also influenced by psycho-social and behavior factors, which means that oromandibular parafunctional activities, temporomandibular disorders, malocclusion, high levels of anxiety and stress, among others, may precipitate the occurrence of bruxism. Nowadays, its etiology is multifactorial. The dentist and the pediatrician are responsible for its early detection, diagnosis, management, and prevention of its possible consequences on the patients. The aim of this review is to update the concepts of this disease and to make health professionals aware of its early detection and its timely management. (C) 2015 Sociedad Chilena de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.