Children who grind their teeth are more likely to be withdrawn in school
June 10th, 2008Social/Behavior 2 CommentsTooth grinding has an association with pre-school performance when
withdrawn behavior is present, according to a research abstract that
will be presented on Tuesday at SLEEP 2008, the 22nd Annual Meeting of
the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
The study
focused on 1,956 pre-schoolers, whose low-income parents completed a
questionnaire that included frequency of tooth grinding during sleep.
According
to the results, 36.8 percent of pre-schoolers were reported to grind
their teeth one or more times per week, and 6.7 percent reported this
behavior four or more times per week. Further, as the frequency of
children’s tooth grinding during sleep increased, parents were more
likely to endorse that their child is withdrawn, doesn’t get involved
with others, and that pre-school adjustment was worse.
“Although
we can not assume that tooth grinding causes withdrawn behaviors or
problems in school, the dynamic relation between tooth grinding and
pre-school adjustment indicate that there may be clinical relevance to
tooth grinding beyond being a symptom of bruxism,” said Salvatore P.
Insana, of West Virginia University, first author of the study.
“Furthermore, parental report of tooth grinding may be a sensitive
indicator of the presence of bruxism among young children.”
Sleep-related
bruxism involves the grinding or clenching of teeth during sleep. It is
common for the jaw to contract while you sleep. When these contractions
are too strong, they produce the sound of tooth grinding. This can
cause dental damage by wearing the teeth down. In most severe cases,
hundreds of events can occur during the night. In milder cases, the
grinding may vary from night to night.
The rate of bruxism
seems to be highest in children. About 14 to 17 percent of children
have it. It can begin as soon as a child’s upper and lower teeth have
come through the gums. Around one third of children with bruxism will
still have it when they are adults.
It can also be caused by stress and anxiety. This may be due to a life event or pressure at school or work.
It is recommended that children in pre-school get between 11-13 hours of nightly sleep.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) offers some tips to help your child sleep better:
- Follow a consistent bedtime routine. Set aside 10 to 30 minutes to get your child ready to go to sleep each night.
- Establish a relaxing setting at bedtime.
- Interact with your child at bedtime. Don’t let the TV, computer or video games take your place.
- Keep your children from TV programs, movies, and video games that are not right for their age.
- Do not let your child fall asleep while being held, rocked, fed a bottle, or while nursing.
-
At bedtime, do not allow your child to have foods or drinks that
contain caffeine. This includes chocolate and sodas. Try not to give
him or her any medicine that has a stimulant at bedtime. This includes
cough medicines and decongestants.
It is
important to make sure that your child gets enough sleep and sleeps
well. The value of sleep can be measured by your child’s smiling face,
happy nature and natural energy. A tired child may have development or
behavior problems. A child’s sleep problems can also cause unnecessary
stress for you and the other members of your family.
Parents
who suspect that their child might be suffering from a sleep disorder
are encouraged to consult with their child’s pediatrician or a sleep
specialist.
The
annual SLEEP meeting brings together an international body of 5,000
leading researchers and clinicians in the field of sleep medicine to
present and discuss new findings and medical developments related to
sleep and sleep disorders.
More than 1,000 research abstracts
will be presented at the SLEEP meeting, a joint venture of the AASM and
the Sleep Research Society. The three-and-a-half-day scientific meeting
will bring to light new findings that enhance the understanding of the
processes of sleep and aid the diagnosis and treatment of sleep
disorders such as insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea.
SleepEducation.com,
a patient education Web site created by the AASM, provides information
about various sleep disorders, the forms of treatment available, recent
news on the topic of sleep, sleep studies that have been conducted and
a listing of sleep facilities.
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