The Lion's Pride Volume 10 (Spring 2018) | Page 61

morning which can extend throughout the duration of the day. Because the muscles are under constant strain, other added symptoms that Wieckiewicz et al. (2014) mentions are “cervical pain, and abnormality of the temporomandibular joints as well as hearing problems” (p. 2). The auditory system is in close proximity to the mouth’s location near the temporomandibular jaw joints, which is the reason ear aches are still being studied in correlation to bruxism and other closely related disorders (Wieckiewicz et al., 2014, p. 4). Table 1 describes the most relevant symptoms of bruxism found by Wieckiewicz et al. (2014, p. 3). Damage to the teeth and oral mucosa not only cause physical pain but can cause emotional and social pain. Being able to speak is critical for human interactions in life. Without teeth, people will eventually find communication hindered, potentially affecting their psychosocial interactions, and causing added stress in their lives (Todić, Mitić, Lazić, Radosavljević, & Staletović, 2017, p. 139). Studying the leading causes of bruxism becomes crucial regarding data for the disease; that also goes for the study of other dental issues such as dental decay in the mouth. One of the reasons for the lack of evidence is the undervalued architectures of sleep bruxism amongst the physicians and dentist (Kim & Han, 2015, p. 98). Since scientific evidence is lacking for various reasons, dentists and other health physicians don’t see the need to implement preventative measures to aid in reducing the problem in their practice. Yet, the number of patients