International Journal of Medical Discoveries

Nocturnal bruxism, such as sleep grinding, has been increasingly recognised as more than just a dental issue; it can serve as a potential indicator for systemic cardiovascular CV risk. Research shows that individuals with sleep bruxism have a significantly higher estimate of 10-year risk for CV disease as compared to those who do not grind their teeth. This study used a quantitative design to investigate whether patients with sleep bruxism (SB) also have CV risk, analyzing sleep patterns, psychological stress, and metabolic markers. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to generalise sample size and research understanding. Data were collected through a survey of 250 participants, evenly split by gender. A crosssectional approach was applied to an online questionnaire with five open-ended questions via Google Forms (see appendix). An alpha of 1 indicates perfect internal consistency in the data; for example, responses on sleep bruxism and CV disease showed nearly identical patterns, implying no disagreement. Dentists are now advised to consider referring patients for CV screening. Among SB treatments, botulinum toxin injections may reduce SB severity and could reduce associated blood pressure surges.