Diagnosis and management of bruxism: Evaluation of clinical practices in France

Abstract

<b>Objective</b>: The Evaluation of Clinical Practice (ECP) conducted with a sample of French general dental practitioners aimed to measure the methods used to diagnose and manage bruxism.<b>Methods</b>: The ECP was performed using a declarative online questionnaire-based anonymous survey (SurveyMonkey) of 1388 practitioners. Twenty-two questions were grouped in 5 categories: (1) Sociodemographic characteristics (Q1-6); (2) Knowledge of the prevalence and definition of bruxism (Q7-9); (3) Diagnostic approach (Q10-11) and management (Q12-Q13); (4) The use of occlusal splints (Q14-21); (5) Oral rehabilitation (Q22).<b>Results</b>: The answers obtained (233; 16.8%) revealed a wide disparity and insufficient diagnosis (e.g. only 41% looked for sleep disorders, 22.3% for consumption of stimulants, 3% for upper airway obstruction) and management of bruxism (e.g. only 21.9% of participants proposed cognitive-behavioral therapy).<b>Discussion</b>: The discrepancies detected, such as the use of inappropriate splints (30 to 70%), emphasize the need for more prompt research-to-practice transfer of new knowledge.