Screen Time and Sleep Bruxism—A Comparison Between the Present Time and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of screen time on the incidence of sleep bruxism in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The parents of 266 children, aged 3–14 years, participated in the present study. They were provided with a 36-item questionnaire in order to collect data about their child’s personal information, general health, sleep bruxism, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on them. The collected data were analyzed statistically using a chi-square (χ2) test, ANOVA with post hoc analysis (Tukey’s HSD), and a t-test. Results: Screen time increased significantly during the pandemic, especially among children using screens ≥180 min/day. The proportion of children spending 180–360 min/day doubled to 24.4%. Lower secondary school children had the highest screen time, with an increase of ~60 min/day during the pandemic. Smartphones were the most used device (50.8%), and on average, children with bruxism spent 32 min longer in front of screens than children without bruxism (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Daily screen use is common in children, and this increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children with sleep bruxism exhibit longer screen time than those without bruxism, suggesting that the former is a potential risk factor for the latter.
Source: Children
Authors: Nadezhda Mitova, Marianna Dimitrova
Institution: Medical University of Sofia
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and Manual Therapy
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,896
OpenAlex ID: W4415250502