Evaluation of volumetric wear loss and pain scores of the digitally and conventionally manufactured occlusal splints for individuals with sleep bruxism.

INTRODUCTION: According to the latest international consensus in 2018, sleep bruxism is the activity of the masticatory muscles during sleep characterized by rhythmic or non-rhythmic teeth clenching or grinding. Regarding its harmful effects, bruxism is considered one of the predisposing factors of tooth wear and temporomandibular joint diseases. Occlusal splint therapy is the most frequently used treatment for minimizing these harmful effects. OBJECTIVES: This study compared the volumetric wear loss and pain scores between digitally and conventionally manufactured occlusal splints for individuals with sleep bruxism. METHODOLOGY: A total of 30 individuals diagnosed with sleep bruxism were selected following the inclusion criteria and randomly divided into two groups. Pain scores were subjectively reported using a visual analog scale. Volumetric wear loss of the occlusal splint surface was measured using the Geomagic software. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 25.0. RESULTS: At the six-month follow-up, conventionally manufactured splints (103.53+/-41.23) showed a volumetric loss significantly higher than that the digital ones (62.33+/-26.29) (p=0.005). We found no significant difference between the two splint types regarding VAS scores. CONCLUSION: Occlusal splint wear can gradually alter the balance of occlusal contact and potentially reduce its therapeutic effectiveness, highlighting the importance of using wear-resistant materials. Our findings indicate that digital manufacturing processes provide advantages due to their long-term clinical outcomes.