Comparative evaluation of the effect of three different methods used in the management of sleep bruxism in children: a randomized controlled trial

Background: Bruxism is defined as involuntary, repetitive masticatory muscle activity, which is characterized by clenching or grinding. The objective of our study was to comparatively evaluate the effectiveness of Kinesio tape, occlusal splint and exercise in reducing myofascial pain resulting from bruxism in children with sleep bruxism. Methods: A total of 47 children presenting with symptoms of sleep bruxism were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups. The study groups were designated as KT (Kinesio tape group), OS (occlusal splint group) and EG (exercise group). In all groups, the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale (WBFPS), maximum mouth opening and pressure pain threshold of the bilateral masseter and temporal muscles were assessed before intervention and at the end of the first and fifth weeks. Additionally, ultrasonographic evaluation of the temporal and masseter muscles was conducted at these time points. Results: The evaluation of the groups in terms of gender and age revealed no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). Similarly, no statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of WBFPS value and mouth opening values (p > 0.05). With regard to masseter muscle thickness, the exercise group exhibited lower values than the other two groups at baseline, Week 1 and Week 5. In contrast, the OS group demonstrated higher temporal muscle thickness values than the other two groups at Week 1. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of pressure pain threshold of the masseter and temporal muscles at baseline, Week 1 and Week 5 (p > 0.05). Conclusions: It has been demonstrated that the use of Kinesio tapes in children with sleep bruxism is at least as effective as occlusal splints. Furthermore, the tapes are biocompatible, require minimal effort to apply, and represent an optimal option when occlusal splints are contraindicated. Clinical Trial Registration: The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov as: NCT06232993.