Introduction:

Sleep bruxism is a parafunctional activity in which clenching and/or grinding of teeth occurs in both the pediatric and adult population.

Objective:

To gather the most current knowledge available on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of sleep bruxism in children in order to facilitate the dentist and/or paediatric dentist's identification and appropriate management in daily clinical practice.

Material and methods:

An electronic bibliographic search of articles published in English between 1986 and 2023 on sleep bruxism in children under 14 years of age was carried out. Thirty-six articles were selected.

Results:

The prevalence of sleep bruxism in children ranges from 5 to 46%. Of multifactorial aetiology, its clinical manifestations are both intraoral and extraoral. Diagnosis in most cases is not easy and must be made by assessing not only its consequences but also the aetiological elements involved. Comprehensive treatment always requires an early and multidisciplinary approach combining psychological and dental techniques. The available evidence does not support the use of rigid splints in children.

Conclusion:

Current knowledge on sleep bruxism in children aims to focus on early diagnosis and aetiological treatment, but further studies are still needed to achieve a standardised and protocolised early diagnosis that will help clinicians' decision-making and improve the patient's quality of life in the short, medium and long term.

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