BRUXISM AS A CONTRACTION DISORDER OF THE MASTICATORY MUSCLES – REVIEW

Abstract

Over the years, several theories regarding the etiology of bruxism have been proposed. Even though these theories are difficult to confirm or infirm, due to the controversial particularities of this disease, most of them suggest a multifactorial etiology. Many authors have emphasized the importance of separating sleep bruxism from awake bruxism, as they might have different etiologies, ending with the New Consensus which provided two different definitions for those two forms of bruxism. In 2020, experts proposed the creation of a standardized system for bruxism evaluation – STAB (Standardized Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism). According to this system, future research over bruxism will be oriented in two directions: axis A that will include studies regarding evaluation methods, and axis B that will concern studies related to etiology, risk factors and predisposing factors.

Keywords

• bruxism
• new consensus
• standardized tool for the assessment of bruxism