Post-stroke Bruxism Improvement Following Botulinum Toxin Injection Into Salivary Glands: A Case Report
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Sialorrhea and bruxism may occur after central nervous system injury and usually require separate management strategies.The effect of intraglandular botulinum toxin injection on bruxism is not well documented.A 37-year-old woman was admitted for rehabilitation after a right capsulolenticular hemorrhagic stroke.Four months later, she presented with left hemiplegia, dysarthria, dysphagia with aspiration, and severe sialorrhea, with a Drooling Severity and Frequency Scale (DSFS) score of 8/9.Awake bruxism characterized by tonic jaw muscle activity at rest was identified and graded 2 on the Standardised Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism (STAB), with tonic masseter activity on surface electromyography.Ultrasound-guided injections of onabotulinumtoxinA were performed in both parotid glands (30 units per side) and sublingual glands (20 units per side).At three weeks, sialorrhea improved with a DSFS reduction from 8/9 to 4/9.Bruxism decreased from STAB grade 2 to grade 1, with a reduction in masseter electromyographic activity.In this patient, intraglandular botulinum toxin injection for post-stroke sialorrhea was associated with improvement of bruxism.Further studies are required to clarify the relationship between salivary secretion and masticatory motor activity.
Source: Cureus
Language: English
Subfield: Complementary and Manual Therapy
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7221881908