Short-term effects of two different oral devices on sleep bruxism management: a pilot study

Background: Sleep bruxism (SB) can be associated with a number of clinical problems, including orofacial pain, tooth wear, and the failure of dental restorations. Based on these factors, a need emerged to define the best strategies to manage bruxism in the clinical setting. Objectives: The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of two different oral appliances (OAs) - an occlusal splint and a functional orthopedic appliance - in reducing SB episodes and orofacial pain. Material and methods: Twenty-six subjects (9 non-bruxers, 17 bruxers) were selected for the study. Each subject was observed for 3 consecutive months, and monitored with a visual analog scale (VAS). Further, all subjects participated in an instrumental recording at home with a portable device (Bruxoff, OT Bioelettronica) to evaluate variation on SB activity through a simultaneous recording of electromyography (EMG) signals from both of the masseter muscles, as well as heart frequency. Intergroup and intragroup variances were analyzed by using a two-way ANOVA test. All statistical procedures were performed with SPSS Statistics V23.0 software (IBM). For each analysis, a P value of 0.05 was set. Results: Pain sensation significantly reduced, both for the stabilization splint and the functional orthopedic appliance group (P 0.001) at the 3-month follow-up, with no differences between the two groups. SB episodes did not significantly reduce after 3 months (P 0.005). Conclusions: This study showed that both particular kinds of OAs could reduce patients' orofacial pain, but that neither appliance showed a statistically significant effect in reducing SB episodes. Further studies are needed on larger and more representative samples followed for a longer period to obtain significant information on SB management. Keywords: sleep bruxism, masseter muscle, occlusal splint, functional device