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