Parafunctional activity Parafunctional activity A para-functional habit or parafunctional habit is the habitual exercise of a body part in a way that is other than the most common use of that body part. The term is most commonly used by dentists, orthodontists, or maxillofacial specialists to refer to para-functional uses of the mouth, tongue and jaw. Oral para-functional habits may include bruxism (tooth-clenching and/or grinding), tongue tension ("tongue thrusting"), fingernail biting, pencil or pen chewing, mouth breathing, and any other habitual use of the mouth unrelated to eating, drinking, or speaking. Crenated tongue is a descriptive term for when scalloping develops on
Bruxism there is only one randomized control trial which has reported that Botox reduces the myofascial pain symptoms. This scientific study was based on thirty people with bruxism who received Botox injections into the muscles of mastication and a control group of people with bruxism who received placebo injections. Normally multiple trials with larger cohorts are required to make any firm statement about the efficacy of a treatment. In 2013, a further randomized control trial investigating Botox in bruxism started. There is also little information available about the safety and long term followup of this treatment for bruxism. Botulinum toxin causes