The Relationship between Sleep Bruxism and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Based on Polysomnographic Findings.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational study of patients undergoing diagnostic polysomnography
PubMed 31614526 · doi:10.3390/jcm8101653
What was done
Adult patients (n = 110) evaluated in a sleep laboratory underwent polysomnography to assess obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sleep bruxism (SB). Respiratory events and bruxism episodes were scored according to American Academy of Sleep Medicine standards. Researchers evaluated the correlation between the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and bruxism episode index (BEI), comparing patients with mild-to-moderate OSA (AHI < 30) to those with severe OSA (AHI ≥ 30), and performed regression analysis to identify predictors of increased BEI.
What was found
The prevalence was 86.37% for OSA and 50% for SB. BEI was significantly higher in patients with mild-to-moderate OSA (AHI < 30) than in those with severe OSA (AHI ≥ 30) (5.50 ± 4.58 vs. 1.62 ± 1.28, p < 0.05). A positive correlation between AHI and BEI was observed in the group with AHI < 30. In this subgroup, regression analysis identified higher AHI, male sex, and diabetes as independent predictors of elevated BEI.
Why it matters
The co-occurrence of sleep bruxism and obstructive sleep apnea appears non-linear, with bruxism activity concentrating primarily in mild and moderate OSA rather than severe disease.
Limits
The study is limited by a modest sample size (n = 110) in a single-center sleep-clinic population with high OSA pre-test probability, limiting generalizability to community populations. The cross-sectional design precludes establishing causality or temporal order between apneas and bruxism events. Potential confounders like medication use, dental factors, or psychological stress were not reported in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Severe sleep apnea is clinically defined as having 30 or more respiratory events per hour.