Influence of Stress Caused by COVID-19 in the Increase of Bruxism

Abstract

Bruxism is the involuntary habit of clenching or grinding dental structures without functional purposes. Bruxism affects between 10% and 20% of the population; and can lead to headache and pain in the muscles, jaw, neck and ear. They also pose, in many cases, problems of a certain severity in the function of chewing and swallowing food. Apart from the fact that, sometimes, bruxism can be related to malocclusion, that is, to the bad gear between the jaw and the maxilla, some of the main causes for which this pathology develops are closely related to stress, fatigue or anxiety. In this sense, given the situation we are experiencing, in which home confinement by COVID-19 can cause, in some people, anxiety disorders, disorders related to bruxism and Temporo Mandibular Joint (TMJ) may be aggravated during these weeks.