Electromyographic assessment of sleep bruxism in patients with periodontitis: a case-control study

Objective The relationship between periodontitis and bruxism has always been a matter of debate. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the association between advanced stages of periodontitis (Stage III/IV) and the intensity and duration of sleep bruxism events, measured as bruxism work index (BWI) and bruxism time index (BTI) through surface electromyography. Methods Subjects were selected from patients regularly attending the School of Dentistry of the University of Siena, Siena, Italy, with the aim of having a test group of patients with periodontitis and a control group without periodontitis. Two calibrated operators performed the periodontal assessment. The sleep-time surface electromyographic activity of the left masseter muscle was registered through a portable device (dia-BRUXO, Biotech-Novations, Sanremo, Italy). Differences between cases and controls in the outcome variables concerning masseter activities were assessed. Results No significant difference was found between the two groups for the sleep bruxism work index and bruxism time index. Instead, a moderately negative significant correlation was found between the bruxism work index and the full mouth bleeding score. Conclusion Patients with advanced stages of periodontitis (Stage III and Stage IV) do not exhibit a higher frequency and intensity of sleep bruxism events compared to healthy individuals.