Sleep Bruxism and Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A Systematic Review

Aims: To carry out a systematic review to consolidate current knowledge on the potential association between sleep bruxism (SB) and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Methods: For this systematic review, articles were retained only if they reported studies using full ambulatory polysomnography as "the gold standard" reference test to determine SDB and the international diagnostic criteria proposed by the American Association of Sleep Medicine to determine SB. Detailed individual search strategies from MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and LILACS databases were developed. The references cited in the selected articles were also checked, and a partial literature search was undertaken. The selection was completed independently by two reviewers in two phases. The methodology of selected studies was evaluated using the seven-item quality-assessment tool for experimental bruxism studies. Results: During the initial search, 333 different citations were identified across the six electronic databases. After a comprehensive evaluation of the abstracts, and the full papers when considered necessary, only one study was finally selected for the qualitative/quantitative synthesis. This study did not support the putative association between SB and SDB, since SB was not observed during or in temporal conjunction with snoring or apneic events in any of the evaluated patients. In addition, masseter activity was not observed during apneic episodes. Conclusion: There is not sufficient scientific evidence either to confirm or discredit the association between SB and SDB.