Sense of coherence as a protective factor in sleep and awake bruxism effects on adolescents quality of life.

This study aimed to assess whether the sense of coherence (SOC) moderates the association between self-reported sleep bruxism (SB) and self-reported awake bruxism (AB) on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). A cross-sectional analysis was conducted with a random sample of 406 adolescents aged 11 to 17 years from Southern Brazil. OHRQoL was measured using the Child Perception Questionnaire (CPQ11-14). Both SB and AB were assessed by self-report (weekly frequency). SOC was measured using the 13-item Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-13). Demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables were included as potential confounders. Poisson regression models were used to test interaction effects. Adolescents with bruxism behaviour-either SB or AB-presented significantly higher CPQ11-14 scores, indicating poorer OHRQoL. SOC moderated this association: adolescents with SB and low SOC reported worse OHRQoL than those with high SOC. Similar results were observed for AB. In addition, the moderating effect was stronger for AB, with a greater difference in predicted CPQ11-14 scores across SOC levels. These findings suggest that SOC may buffer the psychosocial and functional effects of bruxism. Strengthening SOC could be a promising avenue for interventions aimed at minimizing the quality-of-life burden of bruxism in adolescents.