Teeth Grinding occurs in about 50% of children. The good news is it is generally mild and resolves without treatment. So for the majority of children who grind their teeth it can be seen as a normal part of childhood and nothing to worry about.
In kids, the first sign is the grinding of the teeth that can be heard while they are sleeping. It sounds like a creaking sound when they grind their teeth together.
Like any medical condition if you are concerned about your child and teeth grinding it is best to consult a medical professional.
If it doesn’t resolve or if bruxism occurs in adults, there are several treatments that can help reduce the incidence of side
effects of the condition.
Children with epilepsy are more likely to be grinding teeth at night.
Lets have a look at some recent studies.
Tonsils. An interesting February, 2008, study looked at children with bruxism who also had some upper airway obstruction due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids. It was postulated that removing the tonsils and adenoids would reverse or eliminate the bruxism. The study took 140 children with upper airway blockage and discovered a rate of bruxism of 25.7 percent amongst them. After having the tonsils and adenoids removed, the rate of bruxism dropped to 7.1 percent. The study suggests that having the tonsils and adenoids removed may help some children with severe bruxism.
Blocked nasal pagges can be a problem. A related March, 2008, study showed that children with nasal obstruction due to allergies or enlarged adenoids have a much higher chance of night teeth grinding. In the study, it was found that more than 65 percent of all children with nasal obstruction had some degree of bruxism. This points again to the possibility of reducing the nasal construction as a means of treatment.
Headaches may be linked.In another study of children with headaches, 26 percent reported bruxism as compared to 16 percent in children who didn’t have headaches. It was found that sleep disturbances in general were found to be related to the pattern of having headaches in young children.
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