The Role of Canine Guidance in the Management of Tooth Wear Associated with Bruxism: A Pilot Study

Brender Leonan-Silva; Sabrina Sobral de Oliveira; Iara Campos Santana; Jefferson Aguiar Santos; Dhelfeson Willya Douglas de Oliveira; Adriana Maria Botelho; Olga Dumont Flecha & Karine Taís Aguiar Tavano

Bruxism is a condition characterized by a motor activity which can indicate some physiological changes. Due to its multifactorial nature, bruxism can be associated with various signs and symptoms, including tooth wear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of restoring the canine guide in controlling tooth wear in patients with bruxism. This is a pilot study of 24 patients with bruxism, loss of canine guidance and no complaints of pain. The patients were divided into two groups: G1 (n=12, restoring of the canine guide) and G2 (n=12, guidance for patients with bruxism), evaluated at 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. In the inter-group analysis, no statistically significant values were observed (p>0.05). In the intra-group analysis, a difference was observed in G1 (p=0,023) and G2 (0,018) between 1, 3 and 6 months in the assessment of tooth 23. However, the post-hoc analysis revealed that this difference was statistically false, configuring a statistical paradox. Based on the results obtained, restoring the canine guide did not prove to be effective in controlling tooth wear associated with bruxism. Due to the limitations of the study, such as the sample size, clinical trials with a larger number of participants are needed to validate or refute these findings. KEY WORDS: Bruxism, dental occlusion, conservative treatment.

LEONAN-SILVA, B.; SOBRAL DE OLIVEIRA, S.; CAMPOS-SANTANA, I.; SANTOS, A.J.; DOUGLAS DE OLIVEIRA, D. W.; BOTELHO, A. M.; DUMONT-FLECHA, O. & AGUIAR-TAVANO, K. T. The role of canine guidance in the management of tooth wear associated with bruxism: a pilot study. Int. J. Odontostomat., 19(3):271-279, 2025.