Teeth grinding at night in a child: what can be the causes?
A child's teeth grinding at night usually causes parents great anxiety and the desire to find the cause of such behavior as quickly as possible. Can frequent headaches or earaches in a 6-year-old child be related to teeth grinding at night? Why does a child grind his teeth in his sleep? Could the cause be worms or parasites living in the body?
In this article, we present the basic and most important information about teeth grinding in sleep in children. What are the most common causes of a child grinding their teeth in their sleep?
A child's teeth grinding at night: how does it manifest itself? What is sleep bruxism?
Does the child grind his teeth in his sleep, involuntarily move his jaw and clench his teeth visibly? If this behavior occurs regularly, it may be classified as sleep bruxism (sleep bruxism, SB). It is defined as teeth grinding at night that occurs without the child's awareness.
It is estimated that teeth grinding at night occurs in approximately 47,6% of children aged 3-6 [1], but it is increasingly not considered a disorder in itself, but rather a symptom of another problem/disease that may lead to among others to the development of temporomandibular disorders, enamel damage and excessive tooth abrasion[3].
Therefore, if a 4-year-old, 6-year-old or older child often complains of headaches of unclear origin or ear pain that is not associated with otitis media by a doctor, it should be checked whether the cause of the child's symptoms is not grinding. teeth in his sleep.
Symptoms that often accompany Grinding teeth at night may also cause a child to experience, among others, pain in the mandible and maxilla, tinnitus, constant tiredness during the day and attention deficit during classes at kindergarten and school[2].
Why does a child grind his teeth in his sleep: if cause may be so-called worms?
It is commonly said that the cause of teeth grinding in sleep are worms present in a child - parasites, most often the digestive system (e.g. pinworms). Although in most cases this is not true.
Expert advises
Although a child may suffer from tooth grinding, it is usually not the main or only symptom of the disease. It is also accompanied by, among others: general irritability, nervousness of the child, itching around the anus.
Why does a child grind his teeth in his sleep: what are the most common ones causes?
Toddlers grind their teeth most often during the teething period, and then when replacing milk teeth with permanent teeth - during these periods, teeth grinding at night is not considered a disorder in a child.
Other reasons grinding your teeth in your sleep may be in a child mine.:
- local causes: e.g. malocclusion, dysfunctions of the temporomandibular joint [2];
- central nervous system disorders: bruxism in this case is most often considered a parasomnia (a phenomenon of unknown cause, occurring as a result of activation of cortical and subcortical centers in the brain during sleep).
It has been observed that teeth grinding at night is more common in children suffering from, among others, ADHD, restless legs syndrome, snoring or sleep apnea [2].
- organic causes: among others epilepsy, previous head injuries, meningitis [2];
- mental factors: Increased emotional tension (stress) is currently considered one of the leading causes of teeth grinding at night in children [3].
Teeth grinding in a 3, 4, 6-year-old child: why can it appear at this particular time?
As we have already mentioned, a 3-6-year-old child may experience teeth grinding various reasons.
Expert advises
Often the causes are emotional or related to tooth replacement. For example, 3-year-old children may start grinding their teeth at night when they start kindergarten or when they change nursery to a completely new kindergarten facility, which is usually a source of great stress.
Teeth grinding in a child aged 4 and older may also occur as a result of:
- peer conflicts;
- parents' quarrels (parents' divorce is also cited as a common cause of bruxism in children [1]);
- removals;
- or the birth of a sibling.
They cause such situations in the toddler a lot of tension and stress, which the child often cannot cope with on his own. To relieve the tension accumulated during the day, your child may involuntarily grind his teeth in his sleep.
Why teeth grinding occurs in an older child, i.e. 6 years old, 7-year-old?
Reasons should be considered, among others, in growing requirements, both those that the toddler sets for himself (excessive ambition, comparing with others) and expectations parents and teachers in kindergarten and school.
Teeth grinding in a 6-year-old child may occur as a result of stress related to new responsibilities at kindergarten or school.
What to do when the child grinds his teeth at night: jHow to help a toddler?
First of all, it is not worth panicking right away, but observing the child during sleep and during the day. If your child grinds their teeth in sleep regularly or becomes more severe, the first thing you should do is stop grinding them go to the dentist.
Expert advises
The key is to focus not on eliminating the symptoms, but on finding the cause of your child's teeth grinding at night. If the dentist excludes anatomical and dental causes of bruxism in a child, he or she may recommend consultation with other specialists, including a neurologist, psychologist or physiotherapist. In case of very severe symptoms of bruxism, it is recommended to: regular physiotherapy, relaxation exercises, relaxation splints, and in some cases also psychotherapy and/or pharmacological treatment.
Due to the fact that the most common cause of teeth grinding at night is stress (e.g. various emotional difficulties, major life changes, e.g. going to kindergarten for a 3-year-old child, or going to school - in the case of a 6-7-year-old child), very Talking to your toddler about emotions every day may be effective in dealing with sleep bruxism.
Just the possibility to vent a trusted person/parent can significantly reduce the child's stress level and eliminate the cause of teeth grinding at night. It is also good to talk to your child about effective strategies for dealing with emotions and difficult situations.
In case of difficulty with increasing teeth grinding in sleep in children, parents should first consult a dentist or other specialists, including: experienced child psychologist.
Źródła:
Grzegorz Zieliński, Aleksandra Byś, Michał Baszczowski, Michał Ginszt, Marta Suwała, Jacek Szkutnik, Piotr Majcher, Risk factors for bruxism during sleep in children - a literature review, Pediatr Med Rodz 2019, 15 (1), pp. 17–21;
Elżbieta Januszewska, Sleep disorders in children and adolescents - diagnosis and selected forms of therapy, Tasks and challenges of medicine - characteristics of problems and therapeutic procedures, pp. 159-160, https://bc.wydawnictwo-tygiel.pl/public/assets/253/ ZSRQ73~K.PDF#page=151;
Milena Małgorzata Pawlik, Monika Wojda, Jolanta Kostrzewa-Janicka, Bruxism in developmental age - etiology, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, Protet Stomatol, 2023; 73(1): 74-80 http://www.protetstomatol.pl/pdf-162659-88701?filename=Bruxism in developmental.pdf
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