Abstract
Introduction
Bruxism is a prevalent condition and can be destructive to the oral cavity, being widely addressed in dentistry, especially due to its multifactorial etiology and controversial prevalence.
Objective
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of self-reported bruxism among university students and to correlate it with self-perceived anxiety and stress.
Material and method
Self-reported Bruxism, Trait-State Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and LIPP Stress Symptoms Inventory (LIPP) were used to assess the prevalence of bruxism, anxiety and stress, respectively. 714 students of all courses of a university were interviewed, they were between 18 and 45 years. Descriptive statistical analyzes performed by calculations of frequencies (absolute and relative), as well as measures of central tendency and dispersion (mean and standard deviation). About inferential statistical analyzes, the Chi-square or Fisher's exact test was used to compare proportions and the Student t test or ANOVA was a criterion for comparing means, all with a 5% significance level.
Result
The prevalence for bruxism was 46.92%; there was a significant difference in the proportion of bruxism with state anxiety (p = 0.00) and personality trait (p = <0.0001).
Conclusion
It is concluded that although bruxism did not prevail among students, a high percentage of students stated to perform this repetitive activity and the proportion of bruxists with anxiety was relevant, showing the importance of this psychological factor in the pathophysiology of parafunction.
Descriptors:
Bruxism; anxiety; psychological stress