Efeitos do tratamento de bruxismo com clusters de LED vermelho em crianças e adolescentes com diagnóstico de trissomia 21.

Abstract

The main characteristic of an individual with Trisomy 21 (T21), commonly known as Down Syndrome (DS), is muscular hypotonia, a characteristic that mainly affects the masticatory and oropharyngeal muscles, resulting in impairments in speech, swallowing, breathing and chewing, pain, noise and/or degeneration in the temporomandibular joints (TMJ), consequently developing bruxism. Bruxism is pragmatically defined as a facial muscle movement, especially the atypical and repetitive activation of the masticatory muscles, such as the masseter and temporal muscles, characterized by grinding, occlusal clenching or mandibular thrusting. The prevalence of bruxism records in children and adolescents with DS is low, with a highly variable average, ranging from 6% to 50%. The gold standard for the treatment and control of bruxism is the rigid plate, however, there is difficulty in developing treatment in children and adolescents with T21, therefore, photobiomodulation is a non-invasive intervention alternative already consolidated as an excellent option for modulation in muscle tissues. This study sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of non-invasive intervention with red LED clusters for the control of bruxism in children and adolescents diagnosed with Down Syndrome and the condition of orofacial function, assessed using the NOT-S questionnaire. The present study is characterized as a pilot study, composed of individuals of both sexes, aged 4 to 17 years old, attended at the UNINOVE integrated health clinic and diagnosed with Down syndrome and bruxism. After screening, the selected individuals underwent evaluation, where the Nordic Orofacial Test – Screening (NOT-S) questionnaire was applied, which assesses orofacial dysfunction. Participants underwent electromyography examination of the chewing muscles: right and left masseter and right and left anterior temporal bundle. After the evaluations, the LED clusters were applied to the target muscles and a new electromyographic collection was carried out following the application. Each LED device contains six (6) LEDs with a wavelength of 660nm and a duration of seven (7) minutes in each muscle. The treatment was carried out in a total of four (4) sessions, one (1) session per week, where in each session the LED devices were applied and post-application electromyographic collection was carried out; In the third session, the NOT-S questionnaire was carried out again with the purpose of reassessing orofacial dysfunction in the face of intervention with LED clusters. The LED clusters did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference, however, despite not having shown statistical significance, there was an improvement in the bruxism condition, reported informally by the person responsible. Because of this, it is essential to explore possible non-invasive treatments for the treatment of bruxism in children and adolescents with Trisomy 21.