Psychological factors associated with bruxism in a sample of university students from the Colombian Caribbean

Abstract

Introduction Within the theories that explain tooth grinding are dental factors, skeletal malocclusions, occlusal anomalies and defective reconstructions, however, there would be psychological factors that explain this phenomenon. Objectives The aim of the study is to evaluate anxiety, depression and coping responses in university students who self-report clenching or grinding teeth. Methods Design: Non-experimental, cross-sectional, and quantitative. Sample: University students (n=25) aged between 18-25 years (mean: 25.3; SD: 2.39), purposive sampling. Participants completed a self-reported questionnaire reporting teeth clenching/grinding habits. Instruments: Standardized instruments were used, such as the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI) and Coping Strategies Scale Modified (CSS-M). Procedure: First, the study was disclosed, the participants were informed and signed informed consent. They were asked to complete an instrument on teeth grinding/clenching habits and if it was fulfilled, it was included in the study and the psychological evaluation instruments were administered. Data analysis: An analysis was made using descriptive statistics. Results The STAI results showed a high Anxiety-State in all the participants and the Anxiety-Trait had a prevalence of 92.3%. Regarding the levels of depression, it was evidenced that 7.7% presented moderate depression and 31.6% showed mild symptoms. The most used coping strategies were problem solving (87.2%), positive reappraisal (74.4%) and religious support (71.8%), while the least used were seeking professional help (92.3%), waiting (76.9%), aggressive reaction (74.4%) and expression of coping difficulty (71.8%). Conclusions University students must cope with an academic load that exceeds their capacity to face academic challenges (Wikes et al., 2019). This demand causes significant discomfort that increases emotions with a high negative charge and favors the appearance or intensification of mental health problems, such as chronic stress, anxiety, depression, nervousness and behavioral disorders. Disclosure of Interest None Declared