Alterações funcionais e formas de controle dos hábitos orais em vigília: uma revisão de literatura

Abstract

A habit can be understood as a behavior that can be done frequently and almost without thinking, especially something that is difficult to stop doing. Parafunctional habits are unconscious and sometimes involuntary. They are caused by activities of the masticatory system that have no functional purpose. Patients who manifest such habits may clench or grind their teeth (bruxism), bite their cheeks, bite their tongues, suck their fingers, bite pencils, pins, onychophagy and hold objects under their chin.The aim of this study is to look at the different types of parafunctions, as well as their symptoms and respective forms of control. It also aims to carry out an epidemiological study of the most common parafunctions in adults. This is a literature review in which a survey was carried out on the most diverse forms of parafunctions during waking hours. It also focused on possible alterations to the stomatognathic apparatus and ways of controlling the parafunctions reported. The articles were searched using the following keywords: stomatognathic system, oral habits, temporomandibular joint disorders.Ten articles were selected for the discussion in this paper. The search platforms used were Google Scholar and Scielo (Scientific Electronic Library Online), and publications in Portuguese and English from the last 10 years were considered. In females, parafunctions proved to be more common. Parafunctions such as chewing gum, bruxism and resting the hand under the chin were prevalent in the studies evaluated. Another finding was in relation to TMJ, correlating with the greater the number of parafunctional habits practiced by the individual. There was also a predominance of parafunctions in specific populations, occurring in anxious patients. Finally, this study made it possible to list the most common parafunctions and the negative impacts they can have on patients' health.