Intermediate
Technical
IVT
sleep bruxism
Repetitive jaw muscle activity characterized by teeth grinding or clenching during sleep.
Full Definition
Sleep bruxism is a sleep-related movement disorder involving rhythmic or sustained contraction of masticatory muscles during sleep, resulting in teeth grinding, clenching, or gnashing. The condition can cause dental wear, jaw pain, and sleep disruption for both the patient and bed partner. Diagnosis often relies on clinical history, dental examination findings, and sometimes polysomnographic confirmation with EMG monitoring of jaw muscles.
In Context
- "Polysomnography revealed frequent sleep bruxism episodes coinciding with arousal events." — sleep study interpretation
- "The patient's sleep bruxism was evidenced by worn dental surfaces and morning jaw pain." — clinical assessment
Also known as
sleep teeth grinding
nocturnal bruxism
Don't confuse with
awake bruxism
TMJ disorder