Compulsive Bruxism: How to Protect Your Patients’ Teeth
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Compulsive bruxism: How to protect your patients’ teeth Screen for destructive oral habits tied to anxiety disorders and SSRIs ® Dowden Healthral habits suchMedia as bruxism—compulsive grind- ing or clenching of the teeth—can be a manifes- Otation of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) CopyrightFor personaland useother anxiety only disorders.1 Bruxism also may be a side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)2,3 used to treat OCD4 and depression. Other oral conditions can complicate treatment of these disorders (Table 1). Potentially serious sequelae of bruxism and similar behaviors include: • wearing down of teeth (more common) • necrosis of the pulpal tissues that results in non- vital teeth (less common). The following case underlines the need for early re- ferral to a dentist and close follow-up for patients who STAFF ILLUSTRATION FOR CURRENT PSYCHIATRY ILLUSTRATION STAFF have tooth-related behaviors or are taking medications Bernard Friedland, BChD, MSc, JD associated with a risk for such behaviors. Assistant professor of oral medicine, infection, and immunity CASE REPORT Harvard School of Dental Medicine A compulsive oral habit Theo C. Manschreck, MD, MPH Professor of psychiatry Mr. G, age 26, presents to our school of dental medicine Harvard Medical School with the chief complaint that he needs a crown. On clini- cal intraoral examination, we fi nd he has multiple restora- Boston, MA tions, some areas of recurrent tooth decay, and a fractured cusp on a maxillary molar. His mandibular incisors show greater wear on their incisal surfaces than would be ex- pected for a patient his age. This is especially true of his mandibular right lateral incisor (tooth #26) and canine (tooth #27) (Photo 1). Clinical examination also reveals a restoration on tooth Current Psychiatry 24 March 2009 #26 that was consistent with an access cavity drilled for For mass reproduction, content licensing and permissions contact Dowden Health Media. 24_CPSY0309 24 2/17/09 11:20:09 AM endodontic (root canal) therapy (Photo 2). Table 1 This fi nding is consistent with his dental his- Oral conditions associated tory. Soft tissue examination is within nor- with anxiety disorders and mal limits. He reports that he saw a dentist 7 months earlier but could not aff ord the fees. depression During his medical history, Mr. G states Bruxism he has mild Tourette’s syndrome that was di- Canker sores agnosed when he was 10. In the early 1990s he tried several medications, including halo- Dry mouth peridol and pimozide, as a subject in research Temporomandibular joint disorders studies of Tourette’s. He could not recall the Lichen planus (redness or mouth ulcers) dosages of the medications or for how long he took them. Because these medications did Non-vital teeth not improve his symptoms, he stopped tak- Tooth wear, fracture ing them after the studies ended. Mr. G reports that when he was in second Photo 1 grade, a psychiatrist diagnosed him with Clinical Point OCD, and has received treatment since then. Unexpected tooth wear: A clue Bruxism can cause We observe that while Mr. G is seated, he con- to an anxiety-related oral habit tooth wear and, tinually raises his right arm above his head and rubs his fi ngers together. He reports and rarely, necrosis of the demonstrates numerous other compulsive pulpal tissues that rituals, including head movements and rub- results in non-vital bing his elbows against his side. His right el- teeth bow has a large scab. He has been taking sertraline, 150 mg/d, for the past month. He says his psychiatrist prescribed this medication to help him break out of what he describes as episodes where he “gets into a mental loop.” Sertraline has Teeth of a 26-year-old man show greater than improved Mr. G’s symptoms but they have expected wear, particularly on the mandibular right lateral incisor (tooth #26) and canine (tooth #27). not resolved. © BERNARD FRIEDLAND He further reports that he has begun to “grind” his anterior teeth. Technically, he does Photo 2 not engage in grinding or bruxing; he has a habit of pushing his mandible forward so Radiographic evidence of tooth that his mandibular (lower) teeth are anterior non-vitality to the maxillary (top) teeth, then forcefully pulling his mandible back so that the lingual (back) surfaces of the mandibular incisors push up against the buccal (outside) surfaces of the maxillary incisors (Photo 3, page 32). He states that he engaged in this habit frequently from approximately age 19 to 22. When Mr. G was 22, his dentist reduced the height of tooth #23, which Mr. G says he used “to set things in motion.” The dentist’s maneuver cut down but did not eliminate Mr. G’s habit. Mr. G had not complained of nor had Radiolucencies (dark areas) in the bone at the any clinician asked him about his brux- apices of the tooth roots are a radiographic sign of ism-like behavior. He noted that the oral non-vitality. Tooth #26 has undergone root canal. Current Psychiatry © BERNARD FRIEDLAND habit began prior to sertraline treatment, Vol. 8, No. 3 25 continued on page 31 25_CPSY0309 25 2/13/09 10:55:31 AM continued from page 25 thus suggesting no relationship between Table 2 the medication and the behavior. Interest- Screening for bruxism: ingly, although some studies have reported 3 questions for patients bruxism as a side effect of SSRIs,2,3 at least 1 case report found that SSRIs reduced noc- 1. Do you have pain or discomfort in the jaw or turnal bruxism.12 facial muscles, headaches or earaches, or As part of Mr. G’s dental examination, increased tooth sensitivity? we take a full series of intraoral radio- 2. Have you noticed changes in the way your graphs. These reveal radiolucencies at the teeth fi t together or wearing down of your apices of teeth #23 through #26 (Photo 2, teeth? page 25). The fi lms also show root canal 3. Has your sleeping partner noticed any noise therapy on tooth #26. at night that might be the result of teeth Differential diagnosis for lesions in the grinding? periapical region of the mandibular inci- sors includes periapical cemental dys- plasia (PCD), which typically is found in without periapical disease.6 Thus, prevent- middle-aged African-American females,5 ing tooth-related problems in patients who Clinical Point and lesions resulting from non-vitality of grind their teeth or engage in other destruc- Screen patients for the teeth. Histopathologically, lesions re- tive dental behaviors is important. bruxism by asking sulting from the latter include an apical As this case illustrates, teeth can become abscess, cyst, or granuloma. non-vital without clinical evidence of tooth about facial or jaw As is customary when periapical lesions wear; clinical evidence may be subtle or pain, headaches are noted, we test the vitality of the affected nonexistent (note teeth #23, #24, and #25 in or earaches, and teeth. None of the affected teeth responded Photo 2, page 25). Absence of tooth wear increased tooth to cold or electric pulp testing, which indi- is not a reliable sign of tooth vitality. Mild cated they were non-vital. Tooth vitality is to moderate tooth wear usually goes un- sensitivity not affected in PCD, which allowed us to noticed by patients and clinicians.7 exclude this condition. Patients with bruxism may complain of Non-vital teeth indicate that the pulpal masticatory muscle soreness or increased tissue is necrotic. Most commonly, non- wear of the teeth.7 In extreme cases, they may vitality occurs when decay has penetrated self-extract teeth as a result of bruxism.8 the pulp chamber or as a complication of Screen patients who have anxiety dis- physical trauma. No decay was present orders or depression for signs of bruxism on Mr. G’s mandibular anterior teeth and or related behaviors (Table 2). If you detect he denied a history of trauma such as a signs of bruxism or related behavior, refer blow to the teeth. This left his oral habit the patient to a dentist. Ask the dentist to as the likely cause of non-vitality. look for signs of wear and perform vitality Treatment for a non-vital tooth is a root testing of teeth on a regular basis (twice a canal, which had been done on tooth #26. year is reasonable). Any signs of changes We successfully performed root canal in pulp vitality should be followed up with on Mr. G’s other non-vital teeth. We in- intraoral periapical radiographs, which formed the patient of reason for his non- these patients might need more frequently vital teeth, and made a protective occlusal than FDA guidelines recommend.9 guard to try to prevent additional trauma An occlusal guard may provide the to the affected teeth. most defi nitive tooth protection for pa- tients who engage in bruxism or similar behaviors. Occlusal guards are made of Recognizing oral habits material that is softer than enamel, so the Restoration of worn teeth, particularly those patient will wear away the guard rather of the mandibular anterior, is technically than tooth structure. When the guard is diffi cult and—depending on the nature worn away, the patient needs a new one. of the restoration—quite expensive. End- Pharmacologic strategies for bruxism or Current Psychiatry odontic therapy is more successful in teeth related oral habits involving the teeth are Vol. 8, No. 3 31 31_CPSY0309 31 2/13/09 10:55:36 AM mg 30 minutes before bedtime, signifi cant- Related Resource ly improved bruxism and sleep quality as • American Dental Association. www.ada.org. determined by objective and subjective Drug Brand Names measures.10 Clonazepam • Klonopin Sertraline • Zoloft Kast11 reported 4 cases in which tiagabi- Haloperidol • Haldol Tiagabine • Gabitril Pimozide • Orap ne suppressed nocturnal bruxism, trismus, and consequent morning pain in the teeth, Disclosure masticatory musculature, jaw, and tem- Compulsive The authors report no fi nancial relationship with any bruxism company whose products are mentioned in this article or poromandibular joint areas.