Self-reported awake bruxism and chronotype profile: a multicenter study on Brazilian, Portuguese and Italian dental students.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between self-reported awake bruxism (AB) and the chronotype profile among Brazilian, Portuguese, and Italian dental students.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 205 dental students was developed. Self-reported AB as well as information on sleep characteristics were collected from a questionnaire. The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) was used to measure the chronotype profile. Descriptive statistical analysis, the chi-square test, and univariate analysis were used to evaluate the factors associated with AB.

RESULTS: The prevalence of AB in all groups was 33.7%. The intermediate chronotype profile was the most prevalent (60.4%), and only 16.7% of the participants had the morning profile. The univariate analysis showed that older dental students (OR = 2.640, 95% CI 1.388-5.021) and those with the eveningness chronotype profile (OR = 3.370, 95% CI 1.302-8.725) are associated with AB.

DISCUSSION: Students over the age of 22 and those with the eveningness chronotype profile were prone to AB.