Patient's question:
My son is 14 months old. Recently, he has been grinding his teeth at night. What could be the reason for this? Is it caused by some medical condition?Doctor's answer:
Children sometimes grind their teeth unconsciously during sleep. This phenomenon often occurs when falling asleep after a full meal or excessive excitement. After a full meal, a large amount of undigested food accumulates in the gastrointestinal tract, causing the child's entire digestive system to continue working even after falling asleep. This continuous activity of digestion and absorption in the body still drives the chewing muscles, leading to grinding teeth during sleep. Additionally, grinding teeth can also occur in children during sleep after being overly excited.Besides the above reasons, if a child grinds their teeth frequently, parasitic diseases and rickets can also be reasons for this behavior.
Hookworm is a parasitic worm that lives in the human intestinal tract. While absorbing nutrients, it also secretes toxins that stimulate the intestinal wall, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain, restlessness, and nighttime grinding of teeth. Therefore, parents should consult a doctor and give their children deworming medication.
Furthermore, children with rickets may experience grinding teeth during sleep. This is because a lack of vitamin D in the body and poor absorption of calcium can lead to skeletal symptoms such as a square head, outwardly flared lower ribs, and pigeon chest during growth. These children may also exhibit neurological symptoms like excessive sweating, night sweats, and restlessness, with nighttime grinding of teeth being one of the symptoms. Timely treatment is necessary.