An overview of bruxism and its management.

Bruxism is a mandibular parafunction and it can be regarded as a forcible clenching or grinding of the dentition or a combination of both. Because bruxist behavior can be exhibited during both waking and sleeping hours, neither aspect should be ignored by the practitioner as a potential contributing factor of disturbances of the masticatory system. This article provides a general overview of bruxism relative to epidemiology, etiology, characteristics, diagnosis, and management.