It has long been understood that stress can be a contributing factor to bruxism. Thanks to a study from Tel Aviv University, we now know more about the relationship between bruxism and social anxiety. According to this study, if you suffer from social anxiety, interaction with other people is likely to trigger tooth grinding.
This study looked at a group of seventy-five men and women in their early thirties. Forty of the participants had social phobia, about half of which were on medication to treat their problem. The remaining thirty-five participants had no social phobia. All participants had their oral health and psychiatry examined. The results were that moderate-to-severe wear was found on the teeth of 42.1% of those with social phobia, as opposed to 28.6% of the control group. The occurrence of jaw play was present in 32.5% of the socially anxious, and only 12.1% of the controls. Finally, symptoms of waking bruxism were found in 42.5% of the socially anxious, against a scant 3% of the controls.
If you suffer from social anxiety, there are measures you can take to protect your teeth. Talk to our Federal Way dentistry clinic for more.
