Is there a causal relationship between signs of depression and/or anxiety disorders and self-reported bruxism?

Bruxism is a repeated masticatory muscle activity. It manifests itself as teeth grinding and clenching or bracing of the mandible without tooth contact, resulting in tensing of the masticatory muscles. Depending on the time of onset, sleep bruxism can be differentiated from awake bruxism. Previous studies have shown a correlation between the occurrence of awake bruxism and depression. However, longitudinal analyses of this association are rare. Anxiety symptoms have also received little attention so far. The aim of this analysis was to determine whether signs of depression and/or anxiety disorders at the baseline examination of the epidemiological Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-START-0) were risk factors for the development of self-reported bruxism at the time of the 5-year follow-up examination (SHIP-START-1). Keywords: bruxism, epidemiology, longitudinal study, mental disorder, relative risk