FACULTY OF DENTISTRY, UNIVERSITY „ST. CYRIL AND METHODICUS“, SKOPJE, REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Introduction: In a dictionary of prosthetic terms, bruxism is defined as an unconscious, rhythmic, dysfunctional oral habit of clenching the teeth during nonmasticatory movements. The horizontal bruxism is recognized by the extreme wear of the incisal edges of the front teeth, tubers of the lateral teeth and by temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Vertical bruxism is an unconscious centric rotation of the lower jaw, diagnosed by occlusal wear in the fissures caused by contact with the functional tubers and musculoskeletal pain.
Material and method:The of this paper was to show the use of bruxchecker in patients with different type of bruxism as a useful device for early diagnosis. Bruxchecker is used to clinically diagnose bruxism, and it is individually made for each patient. After taking an impression from the mouth the device is constructed by pressure molding from a prefabricated layer of polyvinyl. The patients wear the bruxchecker each night during sleep.
Results: The bruxchecker investigations on 140 patients showed that 60% suffered from horizontal type of bruxism (20% mediotrusive, 80% laterotrusive movements) and 40% had vertical bruxism. Depending on the pattern of bruxing movements, we prescribed repositioning splints for horizontal bruxism with TMD, and stabilization splints for vertical bruxism with musculofascial pain.
Conclusion: The horizontal type of bruxism is growing in the population and it has more severe repercussions compared to the vertical bruxism. Patients with horizontal bruxism have more pronounced dental morphological defects and thus require prosthetic reconstructions, whereas vertical bruxism is characterized by significant morphological defects, but stronger and more frequent musculoskeletal pain.

Key words: bruxchecker, bruxism, stabilization splints, repositioning splints
 

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