Does your child grind his teeth?

Bruxism common in kids

Tooth grinding has an association with pre-school performance when withdrawn behavior is present, according to research from West Virginia University.

The study focused on 1,956 pre-schoolers, 36.8 percent of whom were reported to grind their teeth one or more times per week, and 6.7 four or more times per week. Parents who noticed tooth grinding more often were more likely to say their child was withdrawn, didn’t get involved with other kids, and that pre-school adjustment was worse.

“Although we can’t assume that tooth grinding causes withdrawn behaviors or problems in school, the dynamic relation between tooth grinding and pre-school adjustment indicate that there may be clinical relevance to tooth grinding beyond being a symptom of bruxism,” says lead author Salvatore P. Insana.

Sleep-related bruxism involves the grinding or clenching of teeth during sleep. It is common for the jaw to contract while you sleep. When these contractions are too strong, they produce the sound of tooth grinding. This can cause dental damage by wearing the teeth down. In most severe cases, hundreds of events can occur during the night; in milder cases, the grinding may vary from night to night.

The rate of bruxism seems to be highest in children – around 14-17% of children have it. It can begin as soon as a child’s upper and lower teeth have come through the gums and around one third of children with bruxism will still have it when they are adults.

Kids often grind their teeth because the top and bottom teeth aren’t aligned. It can also be caused by stress and anxiety due to a life event or pressure at school or work. Generally it won’t harm a child and in mild cases it shouldn’t damage the teeth. Usually they outgrow the habit when the adult teeth come in because these teeth are more sensitive to pain, which puts your child off grinding. However, in more extreme cases tooth grinding can wear down tooth enamel so get your child’s teeth checked by a pediatric dentist if you think they may be grinding. Apart from the noise you may hear at night, other symptoms include morning headaches and earaches, facial or jaw pain and tooth sensitivity. Your dentist may recommend a soft mouth guard to prevent grinding overnight.

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