Nowińska Martyna, Kozyra Magdalena, Zimnicki Patryk, Kaczerska Justyna, Śmiech Natalia, Milanowska Joanna. The influence of stress on the occurrence of bruxism. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2020;10(9):200‑211. eISSN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2020.10.09.021 https://apcz.umk.pl/czasopisma/index.php/JEHS/article/view/JEHS.2020.10.09.021 https://zenodo.org/record/4019631 The journal has had 5 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. § 8. 2) and § 12. 1. 2) 22.02.2019. © The Authors 2020; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 10.08.2020. Revised: 15.08.2020. Accepted: 08.09.2020. The influence of stress on the occurrence of bruxism Martyna Nowińska1, Magdalena Kozyra1, Patryk Zimnicki1, Justyna Kaczerska1, NataliaŚmiech1, Joanna Milanowska2 (1) Student Research Group of Applied Psychology, Medical University of Lublin (2) Department of Applied Psychology, Medical University of Lublin *Address for correspodence: Staffa 24, 20-454 Lublin, telephone number: 695562174, e-mail address: madzia.kozyra.1221@poczta.onet.pl ORCID ID and E-mail Martyna Nowińska https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8167-698X m.nowinska98@gmail.com Magdalena Kozyra https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0260-4102 madzia.kozyra.1221@poczta.onet.pl Patryk Zimnicki https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5808-8661 patryk.zimnicki.97@o2.pl Justyna Kaczerska https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2642-9377 justynakaczerska@gmail.com Natalia Śmiech https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8920-7969 natalia.smiech@gmail.com Joanna Milanowska https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9741-1583 joannamilanowska@umlub.pl ABSTRACT Introduction: Bruxism is defined as a stereotypical hyperactivity of the masseter characterized by clenching and grinding of the teeth. Etiopathology of bruxism still remains unclear, is one of the least known dysfunctions of the stomatognathic system. However, a lot of research have shown the correlation between stress and bruxism. The aim of the study: Paying attention to the correlation between the occurrence of stress and the presence of bruxism in the population. Material and method: The research was done by the usage of the PubMed and Google Scholar articles about the topic of: bruxism; stress; epidemiology; characteristic; psychotherapy; Description of the state of knowledge: Psychosocial factors such as state anxiety and trait anxiety, alexithymia, and perceived stress are as important as somatic causes in the occurrence and maintenance of bruxism. Impact of stress is especially noticeable during research conducted on students. Management of bruxism should embrace dental, pharmacological and psychobehavioural procedures. It requires a wider analysis in the aspect of concomitant disorders. The involvement of different specialists is required. Summary: We can undoubtedly say that stress is an inherent condition that accompanies us in everyday life. However, it is important to pay attention to its coexistence with bruxism and its harmful effect not only on organs such as the heart or stomach, but also the stomatognathic system - which is confirmed by many studies. However, the multidimensionality and complexity of the etiology of bruxism require further considerations and research. Key words: bruxism; stress; psychotherapy