Association Between Bruxism and Screen Time in Adolescents

Abstract Adolescents are constantly using new technologies, and excessive screen use is known to have mental consequences, such as anxiety, depression, and stress, which also configure triggering factors for bruxism. The aim of this study is to analyze the association between bruxism and screen time in adolescents. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 2,433 students aged 14-19 years and enrolled in Brazilian public schools. Adolescents answered a questionnaire regarding their sociodemographic characteristics, bruxism, and screen time. The questions used to collected data were obtained from the Brazilian National School Health Survey, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders. STATA 12.0 for Windows, EPI INFO 7.2.2.16, and Excel 2010 were used for information analysis. Absolute and relative frequencies were calculated to assess students’ profiles. The chi-squared test was applied to verify associations between categorical variables. The prevalence ratio was calculated with a 95% confidence interval. Results will be analyzed considering a 5% significance level. Results show that among the participants, 32.4% had bruxism, 59.7% used screens excessively, 53% were aged 14-16 years, and 56.1% were girls. “Screen time” (p-value 0.008), “gender” (p-value 0.009), and “school grade” (p-value 0.001) were associated with bruxism. Regarding screen time, “paternal education” (p-value 0.037), “Bolsa Família” (p-value 0.034), and “monthly family income” (p-value 0.001) were associated with bruxism. Thus, bruxism and screen time had significant associations among the surveyed adolescents.