According to a common conviction, grinding teeth in a dream is a vivid sign that parasites have started in the body. We checked whether this is confirmed by scientific data.

About the direct connection between Ring with teeth (bruxism) in a dream and infection worms Report numerous sites dental And therapeutic clinic. Some do it uncompromisingly, calling Brooksism is a specific manifestation of helminthiasis, others are more neat (for example, one of the largest Russian network clinics “Invitro” does not affirm this directly, but accompanies An article about Brooksism hashtag "worms"). In the popular publication About the health of “Doctor Peter” there is an article “Constant fatigue, grinding your teeth and five more signs that you have parasites.” Notes on the same topic were released "Moscow Komsomolets","Arguments and facts" And "Komsomolskaya Truth", And in the program" Live Great "on the" First Channel "to people who grit their teeth in a dream, Recommended Pass the analysis of the eggs of the Golist.

Although the word “worms” is often called all parasites, in fact, this is not entirely correct. Worms, or helminths, are parasitic Wormswho can live in the body of a person, animal and even plants. Their Divide For three main groups: round worms (nematodes, for example, ascarids, pinworms), tape worms (cestodes, such as bull champa) and saucers (trematodes, for example, liver bicarry).

Infection with such parasites is called helminthiasis (helminthic invasion). This disease is widespread throughout the world, especially among children, due to non-compliance with hygiene. By assessment WHO, only 1.5 billion people suffer from helminthiasis transmitted through the soil - almost 20% of the population of the planet.

Helminthoses can Call many negative health consequences. Worm infection is often Curses to allergic reactions, digestive disorders, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and anemia. In pregnant women, it also increases the likelihood of a child with a low body weight, and in infected children can cause a delay in physical and mental development. In addition, parasites are able to damage the internal organs, primarily the liver, lungs and intestines.

Suspend the helminthic invasion Can By a number of signs. Among them, a decrease in weight without changing the diet and the level of physical activity, iron deficiency or B12-deficiency anemia, provided that all the other causes are excluded, the itching around the anus increases at night, etc. At the same time, it is impossible to feel specific stomach movements in the abdomen-patients mistakenly take their own peristalsis for them. Exceptions are subcutaneous invasions, or enterobiosis, when the nasters crawl out of the rectum.

Bruxism, which occurs more often at night, is formed due to the compression of the jaws as a result of stereotypical movements of the lower jaw. Pathology arises due to different factors, including sleep and stress, and children suffer From it more often than adults. Broxsism promotes abrasion and wear of enamel and dentin tooths, damage to metal or ceramic crowns, and can also lead to teeth hypertension. To minimize the negative effects, capes are used - overlays on the teeth of plastic or silicone, as well as light anti -aisles.

In the vast majority of studies, the results of which were studied by “verified”, it is not said about the causal relationship between helminthiasis and bruxism. These scientific works at the maximum show the correlation between two pathologies. So, in 2006, experts from Venezuela Reportedthat 427 children of preschool and primary school age were examined and revealed a helminthic invasion in 63.23% of them. Scientists noted that such children often suffered from perianal itching, enuresis and bruxism, but did not investigate a causal relationship.

But even the correlation is not mentioned in all scientific works on the topic. In 2008, Brazilian researchers Studied Kala tests 57 children aged 6 to 11 years. 30 of them had Brooksism, but 27 did not, while the children did not take antiparasitic drugs for at least two months before the biological material. The analysis showed that out of 30 patients with Brooksism, helminths had nine, and out of 27 without bruxism - 11 made that scientists concluded that there was no connection between helminthiasis and bruxismism.

In 2010, a similar study Spent In Iran. It was attended by 50 children with bruxism and 50 without it, aged three to six years. Intestinal parasites found in 11 children from the first group and in eight of the second. Despite not the most statistically significant differences, the authors of the study came to the conclusion: parasites can be the cause of bruxism. However, in 2013 the same group of scientists Analyzed The data already 4964 children and found intestinal parasites in only 15.7% of those who suffered from Brooksism. This time, researchers reported that the causal relationship between the two pathologies is not observed.

It is logical to assume that the parasites living in the intestine do not affect the tension of the muscles of the jaw. Nevertheless, some scientists put forward hypotheses about how possible. For example, in 2022, researchers from Morocco suggestedthat parasites produce non -specific proteins, which have a toxic effect on the nervous system, causing insomnia or grinding in a dream. At the same time, scientists reason, Broxsism and helminthiasis may not be connected with each other, but with something third-a certain factor that causes the grinding of teeth and promotes helminthic invasion. Although scientists themselves do not develop this idea, in the case of children a common root cause, for example, sucking a finger - so parasites can enter the body, and the habit, if adults scold the child for it, cause stress and lead to bruxism.

In the same year, American scientists investigated The connection of helminthiasis with non-infectious diseases, such as cardiovascular pathologies, asthma, inflammatory intestinal diseases, epilepsy, etc. They noted that parasites change the content of neurotransmitters and anti-inflammatory molecules-cytokines, and this, in turn, can affect the electrical activity of the brain. As a result, the infected person may have a tendency, for example, to epilepsy. The study is not said about Broxsism, however, since this pathology is multifactorial, the brain can also participate in its development. At the same time, data on the relationship between the helminthic invasion and a change in the content of the mentioned substances were obtained only on animals. Just transferring them to a person is incorrect, first you need to conduct appropriate clinical trials with the participation of people.

Thus, the causal relationship between the infection with worms and the grinding of teeth in a dream has not yet been proven. Probably, the idea of such a connection is due to the fact that both pathologies are more subject to children. Parasitologist Svetlana Oryshchak Explains The causes of Broxsism in this way: “In most cases, this symptom occurs in young children as a reaction to teeth teething, ears pain, change of the situation, overvoltage during the day, conflicts and other psycho -emotional circumstances.” Another possible explanation may be that in the case of advanced enterobiosis, the wormworms crawl out at night from the anus, which can cause itching and discomfort and thereby lead to sleep disturbance (and it is accurately capable Call Brooksism).

Image on the cover: Image by Pete LinForth from Pixabay