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.