Respiratory Problems and Different Manifestations of Bruxism in Children: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To comparatively analyze associations between respiratory problems and adenoidectomy with the different manifestations of bruxism in children. Material and Methods: Were analyzed retrospectively on secondary data from the database of a service specializing in bruxism and temporomandibular disorder (TMD) of 279 children, aged 6 to 12 years, from October to November 2022. Two trained and calibrated examiners performed data extraction, checked and organized it. Descriptive and comparative analysis was carried out using the chi-square test, and Pearson's association test was used for the relationship between variables, both with a significance level of 5%. Results: The sample included secondary data from 259 dental records of children with a mean age of 8.6 years (+/- 7.7), 44% male and 51% female. Probable bruxism was diagnosed in 55% of these children. A negative association between adenoidectomy and teeth clenching while awake (p=0.002), clenching during sleep (p=0.004), and grinding during sleep (p=0.040) was observed. Conclusion: The respiratory problems analyzed were not associated with the occurrence of bruxism in its different types of manifestation. However, all manifestations of awake and sleep bruxism were less frequent in association with adenoidectomy.