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J Am Dent Assoc, Vol 131, No 2, 211-216. © 2000 American Dental Association

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Background. Locally administered botulinum toxin, or BTX, is an effective treatment for various movement disorders. Its usefulness in treating bruxism, however, has not been systematically evaluated.

Subjects and Methods. The authors studied 18 subjects with severe bruxism and whose mean duration of symptoms was 14.8 ± 10.0 years (range three–40 years). These subjects audibly ground their teeth and experienced tooth wear and difficulty speaking, swallowing or chewing. Medical or dental procedures had failed to alleviate their symptoms. The authors administered a total of 241 injections of BTX type A, or BTX A, in the subjects’ masseter muscles during 123 treatment visits. The mean dose of the BTX A was 61.7 ± 11.1 mouse units, or MU (range 25–100 MU), per side for the masseter muscles.

Results. The mean total duration of response was 19.1 ± 17.0 weeks (range six–78 weeks), and the mean peak effect on a scale of 0 to 4, in which 4 is equal to total abolishment of grinding, was 3.4 ± 0.9. Only one subject (5.6 percent) reported having experienced dysphagia with BTX A.

Conclusion. The results of this study suggest that BTX administered by skilled practitioners is a safe and effective treatment for people with severe bruxism, particularly those with associated movement disorders. It should be considered only for those patients refractory to conventional therapy. Future placebo-controlled studies may be useful in further evaluating the potential of BTX in the treatment of bruxism.

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