Objective: To systematize evidence on the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A (BTA) in the treatment of bruxism measured through bite force or electromyography (EMG) at the masseter muscle.
Method: Identification of relevant articles through databases PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Ovid and EBSCO and manual search were performed for sources from review articles. Studies scoring less than 3 on the Jadad Scale were excluded.
Results: Four articles were included after an exclusion of 333 articles. 3 articles measured EMG and 1 bite force. 1 article did not record a significant drop of activity, 1 article recorded reduction midway and at final endpoint. 2 articles recorded initial reduction, but a non significant difference at later follow up.
Conclusion: The available research is inconclusive and does not show enough evidence that bruxism can be treated with BTA injections. However, promising results have been shown in individual studies and further research in this area is needed.
Keywords: bite force; botulinum toxins; bruxism; electromyography; review; tooth wear.
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.