Twelve Weeks of Occlusal Splint Treatment Reduces Blood Pressure Responses to Hypertensive Stimuli in Those with Sleep Bruxism

Sleep bruxism (SB) is associated with increased sympathetic tone, a risk for the future development of hypertension. It is unclear whether those with SB would demonstrate exaggerated responses to hypertensive stimuli and whether treatment with an occlusal splint could mitigate these responses. Objectives: This study compared hemodynamic responses to the cold pressor test (CPT) and static handgrip (SHG) to fatigue between controls (CON) and those with SB to determine whether those with SB have exaggerated responses. Methods: Nineteen subjects (9 CON, 10 SB) had heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) responses measured during a CPT and SHG with post-exercise circulatory arrest (PECA). SB subjects underwent a 12-wk occlusal splint intervention followed by a repeat of the experimental protocol. Results: No BP differences existed with pre- (PRE) vs. post-intervention (POST) in the SB subjects. CPT induced larger ΔSBP (10±10 vs. 19±7 mmHg; p < 0.05) and ΔDBP (8±8 vs. 17±9 mmHg; p < 0.05) in SB subjects compared to CON. POST had attenuated ∆SBP (15±9 vs. 8±5 mmHg; p < 0.03) and ∆DBP (18±10 vs. 8±6 mmHg; p < 0.05) during CPT. SB subjects experienced greater ∆DBP (21±11 vs. 31±8; p < 0.05) during SHG which was not different during POST. Conclusions: SB individuals may be at increased risk for the development of hypertension based on exaggerated BP responses to hypertensive stimuli. Twelve weeks of occlusal splint treatment attenuated some of these responses.