# Screen Time and Sleep Bruxism—A Comparison Between the Present Time and the COVID-19 Pandemic

## TL;DR

Children with sleep bruxism spent more time on screens during the pandemic, suggesting screen use may worsen this condition.

## Contribution

Identifies a link between increased screen time during the pandemic and sleep bruxism in children.

## Key findings

- Children with sleep bruxism spent 32 minutes longer on screens than those without.
- Screen time increased by ~60 minutes/day in lower secondary school children during the pandemic.
- Smartphones were the most commonly used devices, with 50.8% of children using them.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s daily screen time increased, with a marked rise observed in those using screens for more than 3 h per day.Children with sleep bruxism spent longer periods on screens than children without bruxism (with an average difference of 32 min).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children’s daily screen time increased, with a marked rise observed in those using screens for more than 3 h per day.

Children with sleep bruxism spent longer periods on screens than children without bruxism (with an average difference of 32 min).

What are the implications of the main findings?
Extended screen time may contribute to the development or worsening of sleep bruxism in children.Parents and clinicians should encourage balanced screen use and healthy sleep routines to reduce bruxism risk.

Extended screen time may contribute to the development or worsening of sleep bruxism in children.

Parents and clinicians should encourage balanced screen use and healthy sleep routines to reduce bruxism risk.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the impact of screen time on the incidence of sleep bruxism in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The parents of 266 children, aged 3–14 years, participated in the present study. They were provided with a 36-item questionnaire in order to collect data about their child’s personal information, general health, sleep bruxism, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on them. The collected data were analyzed statistically using a chi-square (χ2) test, ANOVA with post hoc analysis (Tukey’s HSD), and a t-test. Results: Screen time increased significantly during the pandemic, especially among children using screens ≥180 min/day. The proportion of children spending 180–360 min/day doubled to 24.4%. Lower secondary school children had the highest screen time, with an increase of ~60 min/day during the pandemic. Smartphones were the most used device (50.8%), and on average, children with bruxism spent 32 min longer in front of screens than children without bruxism (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Daily screen use is common in children, and this increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children with sleep bruxism exhibit longer screen time than those without bruxism, suggesting that the former is a potential risk factor for the latter.