Associations between self-reported bruxism, sleep quality, and psychological status among dental students in Turkey

Objectives: To assess sleep quality among dental students and to identify psychological factors associated with self-reported sleep bruxism (SB). Methods: A total of 212 dentistry students from the Usak University Faculty of Dentistry participated in this study. A self-report questionnaire was administered to identify possible SB. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire was administered to evaluate psychological factors, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Questionnaire Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate sleep quality. Results: Possible SB was more frequently observed in females than in males. The mean DASS-21 score in those with possible SB was significantly higher than in those without SB (p< 0.001). The mean PSQI (total) score was also significantly higher in those with possible SB than in those without SB (5.0 +/- 2.4) (p= 0.007). Conclusion:The findings revealed that psychological factors and sleep quality significantly affected the prevalence of self-reported SB among dental students.