Association between possible bruxism and the practice of physical activity in school adolescents: exploratory study

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the association between bruxism and the practice of physical activity in adolescent students. Methods: This was an exploratory, descriptive and analytical school-based study. We included were 217 students, aged 14 to 19 years, of both genders, regularly enrolled in high school in the state school network of a town in Pernambuco. The variables evaluated included sociodemographic data, questions regarding physical activity, and data regarding possible bruxism that was taken from 3 questionnaires PeNSE, YRBS, and RDC/TMD. The data were analyzed using STATA 12.0 for Windows software. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results: Among those surveyed, 32.7% were bruxists (sleep and wakefulness), 50.2% were sedentary, 61.3% were between 14 and 16 years old, and 64.5% were female. There was no statistically significant association in any of the variables analyzed about bruxism. There was an association between gender and physical activity (p-value 0.013), relating females to a sedentary lifestyle. Conclusion: There was no association between bruxism and physical activity in the studied population.