Physical therapy interventions for awake and sleep bruxism: What has been the approach over the last decades? A systematic review of the evidence and research gaps.

The objective of this systematic review was to summarize the physiotherapy (PT) treatments used over the last few decades to manage awake bruxism (AB), sleep bruxism (SB) or unspecified bruxism in adults. Searches were conducted in 5 databases, and all stages of the review were performed independently by 2 reviewers. A total of 1,745 records were identified through the database searches. Of these, 86 studies underwent full-text assessment, and 13 met the inclusion criteria. An additional manual search identified 2 further eligible studies, resulting in a total of 15 studies included in this systematic review. A variety of PT modalities were reported in the literature. Manual therapy (MT) combined with occlusal splint therapy or kinesiotaping demonstrated positive effects on clinical outcomes, including orofacial pain, sleep quality, the number of trigger points, and jaw disability in individuals with bruxism. Overall, PT may be beneficial for individuals with bruxism, particularly those with associated conditions such as temporomandibular disorders (TMD) or headaches. However, the available evidence is limited and heterogeneous, and most included studies presented a high risk of bias.