Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bruxism in awake dogs as a clinical sign of forebrain disease: 4 cases.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine
- Year:
- 2022
- Authors:
- Liatis, Theofanis et al.
- Affiliation:
- Queen Mother Hospital for Animals · United Kingdom
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at four dogs that were grinding their teeth while awake, a behavior known as bruxism, to see if it could be linked to brain problems. All four dogs showed signs of brain lesions, with three of them having issues in a specific part of the brain called the diencephalon. The tests revealed that two dogs had brain tumors and the other two had inflammation in the brain of unknown cause. Unfortunately, all the dogs were euthanized due to the severity of their conditions. The findings suggest that if a dog is grinding its teeth while awake and has other neurological issues, it might be a sign of a serious brain problem.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bruxism is a repetitive masticatory muscle activity characterized by clenching or grinding of the teeth, or by bracing or thrusting of the mandible, or both. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether bruxism in awake dogs could be associated with brain lesions. ANIMALS: Four dogs with episodic bruxism in the awake state. METHODS: Observational retrospective single-center case series. Inclusion criteria were dogs examined between 2010 and 2021 with episodic bruxism as a presenting complaint or observed during the examination or hospitalization, complete medical records and magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography of the brain. Bruxism during epileptic seizures as oroalimentary automatism was an exclusion criterion. RESULTS: Four dogs met the inclusion criteria. Two dogs had bruxism while awake as a presenting complaint, whereas in the remaining 2 it was a clinical finding. All dogs had neuroanatomical localization consistent with a forebrain lesion, with diencephalic involvement in 3/4. The diagnostic evaluation was consistent with neoplasia (n = 2) and meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (n = 2), in 1 case accompanied by corpus callosum abnormality affecting the forebrain, in 3 dogs advanced imaging findings were suggestive of increased intracranial pressure. All dogs were euthanized. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Our results suggest that the presence of bruxism in the awake state associated with other neurological deficits might indicate a forebrain lesion.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36325625/