Japjee Family Dental Clinic in Mohali celebrates National Deworming Day on 10th February. This day is key for the oral and overall health of children. On this day children between 1 to 19 years are given the medication for intestinal worm infections. The worms can cause long term damage to the children, so all the kids are given medication irrespective of if they are infected or not .
The dental symptoms that children with worms often report with is bruxism.
Bruxism is excessive grinding of the teeth . The parents complaint that the child produces a grinding sound while sleeping at night. It is often accompanied by pain , headache and tooth wear.
Parasites or worms like pinworms ,tapeworms, roundworms can release toxic molecules that may trigger bruxism. These toxins signal the brain to grind the teeth.
Other symptoms include:
- Allergies
- Food sensitivities
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Chronic Gastro issues
- Abdominal pain
Apart from worms ,bruxism can also be associated with various causes like
- Stress and anxiety,
- Mis aligned teeth ,
- Sleep disorders
- Nutritional deficiency .
If you suspect a child has bruxism or worms in the stomach consult the pediatrician and orthodontist.
