IADR Abstract Archives
Association Between Bruxism and Myofascial Pain: A Literature Review
Objectives: Aim: The present study seeks to describe the association between bruxism and myofascial pain in adult patients reported in existing literature.
Methods: Method: The author selected all articles that were related to the aim of this review in the following search engines: PubMed, EBSCO, and Cochrane Library, with no limitation of language or year of publication. This review included studies in which the diagnosis of sleep bruxism was assessed with polysomnography, awake bruxism with self-report, and myofascial pain according to RDC/TMD criteria. The review was conducted by only one reviewer. The author has no conflict of interest to declare.
Results: Results: 508 papers were obtained in the first online search, of which 104 were pre-selected after examining title and abstract. After this, complete articles passed a more rigorous assessment. Finally, 23 articles were included.
Conclusions: Conclusions: There is limited evidence of the association between both pathologies. Despite the fact that the majority of the studies reviewed here showed a statistically significant association between the presence of bruxism and the development of myofascial pain, there is still controversy between researchers; some studies even show bruxism as a protective factor. The associations between these pathologies were more frequent in women and in patients with awake bruxism. There is a need for more standardized studies that could deepen the comprehension of this association and the development mechanisms of these pathologies, improving clinical treatment of bruxism and myofascial pain.
Methods: Method: The author selected all articles that were related to the aim of this review in the following search engines: PubMed, EBSCO, and Cochrane Library, with no limitation of language or year of publication. This review included studies in which the diagnosis of sleep bruxism was assessed with polysomnography, awake bruxism with self-report, and myofascial pain according to RDC/TMD criteria. The review was conducted by only one reviewer. The author has no conflict of interest to declare.
Results: Results: 508 papers were obtained in the first online search, of which 104 were pre-selected after examining title and abstract. After this, complete articles passed a more rigorous assessment. Finally, 23 articles were included.
Conclusions: Conclusions: There is limited evidence of the association between both pathologies. Despite the fact that the majority of the studies reviewed here showed a statistically significant association between the presence of bruxism and the development of myofascial pain, there is still controversy between researchers; some studies even show bruxism as a protective factor. The associations between these pathologies were more frequent in women and in patients with awake bruxism. There is a need for more standardized studies that could deepen the comprehension of this association and the development mechanisms of these pathologies, improving clinical treatment of bruxism and myofascial pain.