Parafunctional Habits and Its Association with the Level of Physical Activity in Adolescents

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Physical activities are considered beneficial to reduce daily stress. If not eliminated, stress is able to promote large increases in muscle tension, hypertension, asthma, heart arrhythmia and the development of parafunctions. Then, the aim of this study is to evaluate the association between the presence of parafunctional habits and the practice of physical activity in adolescence. METHODS: The sample comprised of 200 adolescents, boys and girls, from 10 to 19 years old, recruited from the clinics of the Dentistry Course of the University of Araraquara or from public and private schools from the city. The presence of parafunctional oral habits, daytime teeth clenching, and sleep bruxism was obtained through a self-report questionnaire (yes/no). The individuals answered a questionnaire to identify the practice of physical activity according to the instrument adopted in the National School Health Survey (PeNSE - 2012). For the associations, subjects were divided according to the practice of physical activity into active (>300 minutes of activity in the week) or inactive (≤300 minutes of activity in the week). RESULTS: It was observed that boys practiced more physical activity and for a longer period when compared to girls. However, the practice of exercises did not present a significant association with the presence, quantity or type of the oral parafunction (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The level of physical activity is not associated with oral parafunction nor with extrafacial pain areas.