Aspectos psicológicos de crianças com bruxismo / Psichological aspects of children with bruxism

AUTOR(ES)

Karina Rodrigues

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

Bruxism is a parafunctional habit, characterized by continuous teeth clenching or grinding. Its etiology has been related to multiple factors, in which psychological aspects have been acknowledged as important. Although bruxism has been mainly studied in adults, an increasing number of children with this problem have been observed. This research aimed to examine the affective dynamics of children with bruxism. A comparative analysis was performed, involving two groups of 15 children each, paired by gender, age and education level: Group 1 children with bruxism and Group 2 without bruxism attended by the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of the University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto School of Dentistry, with ages ranging from 6 to 12 years, male and female. The participants were subject to the individual application of: the Thematic Childrens Apperception Test (CAT A) to the children, and a semistructured interview to the responsible companions. Based on the psychoanalytic approach, the analysis of the results made it possible to discuss specific aspects of the affective dynamics of children with bruxism in comparison with the control group, among which the following stand out: behavior marked by problem avoidance, submissive tendency in dealing with conflicts, low creativity levels and immaturity. The submissive behavior could be observed in the Problem category, where the children with bruxism showed that they dealt with their main conflicts through submission, making problem coping and solving more difficult; they also evidenced low self-confidence and successful outcomes at the end of their stories only occurred when submissive behavior was present. The categories Hero, Group and the subcategory Stories showed decreased creativity functioning, as the stories were descriptive, stereotyped and restricted in the presentation of social relationships beyond the family. The categories Problem, Needs, Group and Defense mechanisms showed immaturity levels that were corroborated by different aspects in the interview with the companions, such as: the childs current fears, place where the child sleeps, description of current sleep, oral habits and current description of the child. It was also observed that the functioning of creativity in these children might be restricted by emotional issues and might take submissive behavior as the main form of adaptive conduct, allied with emotional immaturity. Thus, this research contributed to a further understanding about the psychological aspects of children with bruxism and points towards the need for collaboration between Psychology and dentistry, with a view to a comprehensive perspective on these children.

ASSUNTO(S)

psicanálise psicologia pediatric dentistry psychoanalysis bruxismo odontopediatria psychology projective techniques bruxism técnicas projetivas

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