The Treatment of Bruxism with TCM: Aetiology, Pathogenesis and Management

Bruxism, or teeth grinding, is a destructive oromandibular condition. Currently, besides night mouth guards to provide protection for the teeth and reduce pain and disruptive noise, there is no standardised effective approach for the treatment of bruxism. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) bruxism is not considered to be merely a local mandibular complaint, but rather the consequence of systemic problems involving various channels and zangfu organs. Chinese herbs and acupuncture can be used to treat the causative factors and fundamental pathologies of this condition and provide relief to sufferers. This article describes the fundamental theory of bruxism according to TCM, along with its pathogenesis and treatment.