Teeth Grinding in Teens may mean they’re being Bullied: RESEARCH

Teens who are bullied in school are more likely to grind their teeth while they sleep.

New research published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation says

that kids ages 13-15 in a Brazilian study who were verbally bullied in school were 4 times more likely to grind their teeth than kids who weren’t bullied.

After examining these findings, the Oral Health Foundation advises that parents and schools look at complaints of oral health problems, like teeth grinding, also called sleep bruxism, as a sign of other problems related to stress and anxiety.

“Both children and adults tend to grind their teeth when suffering from stress,” says Dr. Nigel Carter, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation in a statement, “and bullying is a significant contributor here. Sleep bruxism can be particularly damaging as we are often unaware that we do it.”

Teeth grinding or clenching is a habitual movement performed when awake or asleep. It can cause jaw aches, teeth wearing down and fracturing, hypersensitive teeth, headaches, and more.

The cause for sleep bruxism is largely unknown, but increasing research has tied it to stress, anxiety and sleep apnea. It can also be simply caused by having an abnormal bite.

Most people aren’t consciously aware they’re grinding their teeth unless someone else tells them or they experience the symptoms of aggressively doing it.

“Grinding teeth,” Dr. Carter says, “may not sound like a priority within the wider picture but it could prove to give a vital insight into a child’s state of mind and could be an important sign for us to identify bullying at an earlier stage.”