Bruxism and Cardio Vascular Diseases: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Bruxism is a parafunctional activity with unclear etiology. Psychological stress might be involved. The aim of this observational study was to compare the prevalence of bruxism between cardiopathic patients and non-cardiopathic patients. Subjects and methods: The population study was based on 120 patients divided in 2 groups: Cardiopathic patients (Test-group; n=60) and Non-Cardiopathic patients (Control-group; n=60). All the patients included in the study were screened for bruxism with the “tooth wear Index” (TWI). The TWI value was supposed to be higher or equal to 2 for the 50% of the teeth to define the diagnosis of bruxism. The prevalence of bruxism was calculated and compared in both groups. Results: In the Test-group, 55 out of 60 cardiopathic patients were bruxist, with a prevalence of 91,67%. In the Control-group, 17 out of 60 non cardiopathic patients were bruxist with a prevalence of 28,33%. (Table-3) Conclusion: Cardiopathic patients showed a higher prevalence of bruxism than non-cardiopathic patients. Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the relation occurring between the two conditions.