THE PREVALENCE OF BRUXISM AND DENTAL WEAR IN CHILDREN IN RELATION TO SMART DEVICES AND VIDEO GAMES

Aim: The aim of the study is to check for the prevalence of Bruxism in children between 5-10 years, using smart devices and/or video games. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 school children with mixed dentition aged from (5-10 years) of both genders were randomly selected for the study. They were examined for tooth wearing , their parents responded to a questioner concurring Participation of bruxism and using smart devices by their children. Result: The final study sample comprised of 204 children, they were 50 boys and 154 girls, with an average age of 5-10 years old. The prevalence of tooth wear resulting from Bruxism among the sample was (59.2%). The prevalence of tooth wear among children having a smart device (I Pad, or play station) for more than two years was higher than those who had it for less than two years. The prevalence of tooth wear was noted to be increased as the frequency of playing per week increases. All children playing for more than 5 hours showed clinical signs of tooth wear (prevalence of 95%). Bruxism was noticed in almost all of the children whose parents stated that they hear crushing sounds at night prevalence of (76.1%). Noticeably, even though (45.6%) declared that they do not hear crushing sounds during sleep. Conclusion: Tooth wear due to Bruxism is very prevalent among children who possess Smart devices and or Play Station, by comparison to their counterpart; and the risk of developing it is even higher during the first 2 years of possession of the device. In addition, both frequency and duration of exposure to the device increase the risk of Bruxism significantly