Effects of Manual Therapy and Home Exercise in Bruxism

Effects of Manual Therapy and Home Exercise Treatment on Pain, Stress, Sleep and Life Quality in Patients with Bruxism: a Randomized Clinical Trial

Objectives: This trial aimed to examine the effects of manual therapy and home exercise treatments on pain, sleep quality, stress level and quality of life in patients with bruxism.

Methods: Thirty bruxists over the age of 18 were included in the study. The patients were randomly divided into Manual Therapy Group (MTG) and Home Exercise Group (HEG). Before treatment (T1) demographic information was obtained from all patients, they were asked to fill out the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Fonseca Anamnestic Index (FAI) and Quality of Life Scale/Short Form-36 (SF-36) and number of trigger points and pain levels were determined at baseline. Manual therapy and home exercises were applied to both groups for 8 weeks and all tests were repeated and re-evaluated at the end of 8 weeks (T2). After that, the data was analyzed with statistical tests.

Bruxism is a common parafunctional habit defined as clenching and/or grinding of teeth occurring during sleep and/or wakefulness. Although the etiology is not known exactly, there is a consensus that it is multifactorial. Emotional stress is one of the important factors leading to bruxism. It has been shown that a stressful life has an important effect in explaining clenching during the day. In addition to stress, previous studies showing that psychiatric disorders, especially depression and anxiety disorders, accompany TMD and bruxism.

This trial aimed to examine the effects of manual therapy and home exercise treatments on pain, sleep quality, stress level and quality of life in patients with bruxism. In the study thirty bruxists over the age of 18 were included in the research protocol. The patients were randomly divided into Manual Therapy Group (MTG) and Home Exercise Group (HEG). Before treatment (T1) demographic information was obtained from all patients, they were asked to fill out the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Fonseca Anamnestic Index (FAI) and Quality of Life Scale/Short Form-36 (SF-36) and number of trigger points and pain levels were determined at baseline. Manual therapy and home exercises were applied to both groups for 8 weeks and all tests were repeated and re-evaluated at the end of 8 weeks (T2). The normal distribution of the groups was tested with Kolmogorov-Smirnov. Paired Samples t test was used for intra-group comparisons at T1 and T2, and Independent t test was used for inter-group comparisons. The statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Volunteer students aged between 18-25
• Answered "yes" to at least two of the six questions in the Bruxism questionnaire.

Is there anyone hear you grinding your teeth at night? Do you feel fatigue or pain in your jaw when you wake up in the morning? Do you feel pain in your teeth and gums when you wake up in the morning? Do you have a headache when you wake up in the morning? Do you notice that you grind your teeth during the day? Do you notice that you clench your teeth during the day?

- Having at least two clinical signs of bruxism Abnormal tooth wear on the occlusal surfaces of the teeth Abfraction Gingival recession and/or cervical defect Tongue indentations or damage to the inside of the cheek Tense facial and jaw muscles, muscle sensitivity, and masseteric hypertrophy upon bidigital palpation

Exclusion Criteria:

• Characterized by a neurological disease,
• Botulinum toxin injections into the masticatory muscles in the last year,
• Using antidepressant-type medications that will affect the central nervous system,
• Receiving occlusal splint treatment,
• Having more than two molar teeth missing in the posterior