Scientists say that grinding teeth may indicate sleep problems

December 7th, 2011 - 9:53 pm ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt  

New York, Dec 7 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Grinding the teeth in children may be a sign of sleep disorder, scientists suggest. In the United States, teeth grinding while sleeping is common among children with officials estimating that between 14 and 17 percent of all children in the country grind their teeth.

The number one issue associated with grinding the teeth is enamel wear. Doctors say in almost all the investigated cases, some level of stress has been linked to the condition. Scientists have linked teeth grinding to the sleep disorder. Grinding the teeth while sleeping is termed bruxism.

Two types of bruxism have been identified by scientists. When the condition occurs without any underlying cause identified, doctors call that primary bruxism. However when another disorder is to be blamed for the condition, officials classify it as secondary bruxism.

Founder of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston Dr. Lisa Shives explained that, “Often, grinding can be an accompanying feature of obstructive sleep apnea and confusional arousals, and it can improve with treatment of the underlying sleep disturbance.”

Scientists suggest that all forms of teeth grinding which appears not normal should be reported to the dentist so that it can be thoroughly investigated.

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