The Relationship Between Self-Reported Sleep/Awake Bruxism and Chronotype Profiles of Dental Students

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the possible relationship between the presence/absence of the self-reported sleep and/or awake bruxism and the chronotype profiles of dental students. Materials and Methods: The dental students of Istanbul Medipol University and Istanbul Medeniyet University participated in this study in the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. Along with a form requiring students ‘demographic data, an 11-item questionnaire evaluating sleep quality and self-reported sleep and awake bruxism, and a 19-item Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) determining the chronotypes were applied. The significance level was set at p≤ 0.05 for statistical analysis. Results: 171 students (female:128, 74.9%; male:43, 25.1%) participated in the study. The mean age was 22.3±2.2. There was no statistical difference between the presence or absence of the bruxism types and the chronotype profiles of the students. The sleep quality in the students with sleep bruxism was statistically lower than in other types of bruxism. The participants with sleep bruxism were statistically more likely to have difficulty concentrating on their daily activities than the participants with other types of bruxism. Conclusions: There is no relationship between the presence or absence of the bruxism types and the chronotype profiles. However, sleep bruxism negatively affects both sleep quality and focusing on the daily activities