Abstract
Introduction: Sleep bruxism was recently classified as a sleep related movement disorder and it been linked to emotional alterations, arousals and neurological systems.
Objective: To evaluate the alteration in heart rate variability (HRV) in bruxers prior and after 1 month of occlusal splint (OS) usage.
Methods: Thirteen consecutive patients were enrolled in the study. Patients related masseter, temporalis, cervical and headache pain. Clinical diagnosis of SB was made considering the presence of tooth wear, the presence of hypertrophy of masseter and/or temporalis muscles and sleep bruxism events related by partners. Upper and lower stone casts were made to analyze tooth wear degree and location. The T-test for paired observation and Wilcoxon test for non paired observations was used to analyze the impact of OS on HRV.
Results: All TMD symptoms were decrease after first month of OS usage. The HRV assessed by NES showed that the RR interval improved from 801.0±28.0 to 833.0±30.0 but was not significant. The frequency–domain parameter was not significant for both Fast Fourrier Transform and Wavelet spectral method in both parasympathetic and sympathetic area. Low frequency and High frequency did not alter post 1 month of OS usage.
Conclusion: Occlusal splint reduced all TMD symptoms related prior treatment. HRV was not changed, maybe due to the short period of the study, one month, of OS usage. Further evaluation with a longer period of treatment is needed.
- © 2011 ERS
