# Cardiovascular Risk Profiles of Individuals with Bruxism: A Case-Control Study Using QRISK3 Scores

## TL;DR

People with bruxism have higher estimated 10-year cardiovascular disease risk compared to matched controls, even after adjusting for other risk factors.

## Contribution

This is the first study to use the QRISK3 algorithm to quantify cardiovascular risk in individuals with bruxism.

## Key findings

- Bruxism patients had significantly higher mean QRISK3 scores than controls.
- Bruxism severity correlated moderately with QRISK3 scores.
- Bruxism remained an independent predictor of high CVD risk after adjusting for multiple factors.

## Abstract

Introduction: Bruxism has been linked to autonomic dysregulation and systemic inflammation-mechanisms that may elevate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, no study to date has applied a validated risk‐prediction model to quantify this risk in bruxism patients. This study aims to compare 10-year CVD risk, as estimated by the QRISK3 algorithm, between adults with bruxism and matched controls, and to assess the relationship between bruxism severity and cardiovascular risk.

Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional, matched case-control study recruiting 92 adults (25-65 years) with clinically diagnosed bruxism and 108 non-bruxing controls matched for age (±2 years), sex, body‐mass index (BMI) (±1 kg/m²), smoking status, hypertension, and diabetes. Bruxism severity was measured via the eight-item Bruxism Severity Questionnaire (BSQ). Ten-year CVD risk was calculated using QRISK3 inputs from clinical history, physical examination, and recent laboratory values.

Results: Cases and controls did not differ in mean age (42.5 ± 10.3 vs. 41.8 ± 9.7 years; p=0.63), sex distribution (55% female each), BMI (26.2 ± 3.4 vs. 25.8 ± 3.1 kg/m²; p=0.315), smoking (23.9% vs. 18.5%; p=0.756), hypertension (15.2% vs. 11.1%; p=0.698), or diabetes (8.7% vs. 5.5%; p=0.564). The mean QRISK3 score was higher in bruxers than controls (8.2 ± 4.5 % vs. 6.1 ± 3.7 %; t=4.156, p<0.001), and the prevalence of “high CVD risk” was 28.3 % vs. 14.8 % (χ²=6.102, p=0.013). The BSQ total score correlated moderately with QRISK3 (r=0.36, p<0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, BMI, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia, bruxism remained an independent predictor of high CVD risk (OR 2.30; 95% CI 1.15-4.58; p=0.019).

Conclusion: Adults with bruxism exhibit significantly higher estimated 10-year CVD risk than matched controls, and bruxism severity correlates with QRISK3. These findings support the integration of cardiovascular risk screening in dental practice for patients presenting with bruxism.