Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine the prevalence of self-reported tooth grinding among older adult patients at a dental school and to examine the associations between tooth grinding and various demographic and clinical factors. METHODS: Data were retrieved from the electronic patient database at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to explore associations between tooth grinding and various demographic and clinical factors. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors that were significantly associated with tooth grinding. RESULTS: Out of 12,550 adults aged 65 years or older, 1598 (12.7%) who responded to the tooth grinding question were included in the analysis, with 853 (53.4%) reporting tooth grinding. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that gender and drug addiction were significantly associated with tooth grinding, with males and those with a history of drug addiction having higher odds. CONCLUSIONS: In this large sample of older adults, self-reported tooth grinding had a high prevalence, with males and those with a history of drug addiction having significantly higher odds of experiencing it.