Links Between Bruxism and TMJ Difficulties Discovered

While sleeping, around 15% of people grind their teeth.

Recent research has concluded that bruxism, where you clench your teeth, can lead to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) difficulties depending on the formation and location of teeth.

The study employed a computer model of the area where teeth chew food to look at the effects of bruxism. It worked on the hypothesis that interactions between certain tooth shapes and positions will have an effect on the TMJ’s mechanical strain during teeth clenching, therefore it may be considered a risk for developing issues.

During the testing, researchers looked at a range of simulated scenarios on the computer model to mock the impacts of lateral grinding on particular teeth like the canine and molar.

Head of the research, Benedikt Sagl, said that “Our results show that both the inclination and location of the wear facets have an influence on the strength of the mechanical load on the temporomandibular joint. However, it would appear that the decisive factor is the steepness of the grinding facet. The flatter the tooth, the higher the loading on the joint and therefore the higher the risk of a TMJ disorder.”