People who are stressed about daily problems or trouble at work seem to be more likely to grind their teeth at night, the results of a new study indicate.

German researchers set out to investigate the causes of ‘sleep bruxism’ – grinding teeth at night. They looked at 69 people, 48 of whom were ‘bruxers’.

Tooth grinding was measured by thin plates that were placed in the participants’ mouths overnight, while stress and coping techniques were assessed by three questionnaires.

The study found that bruxing was not associated with age, gender or education level, but was more common in people who claimed to experience daily stress and trouble at work, particularly those who tried to cope with stress by escaping from difficult situations.

According to the researchers, bruxing can lead to abrasive tooth wear, teeth becoming loose, sensitive teeth and pain in the muscles responsible for chewing. The causes are relatively unknown, although stress has previously been implicated.

“Our data support the assumption that people with the most problematic grinding do not seem to be able to deal with stress in an adequate way. They seem to prefer negative coping strategies like ‘escape’. This, in general, increases the feeling of stress, instead of looking at the stressor in a positive way,” explained lead researcher, Maria Giraki of Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Head & Face Medicine.