Bruxism the phrase "wailing and gnashing of teeth" is used to describe the fate of sinners in hell (). In David Lynch's 1977 film "Eraserhead", Henry Spencer's partner ("Mary X") is shown tossing and turning in her sleep, and snapping her jaws together violently and noisily, depicting sleep bruxism. In Stephen King's 1988 novel "The Tommyknockers", the sister of central character Bobbi Anderson also had bruxism. In the 2000 film "Requiem for a Dream", the character of Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) begins taking an amphetamine-based diet pill and develops bruxism. In the 2005 film "Beowulf & Grendel", a modern reworking of
Bruxism a link between episodes of sleep bruxism and a supine sleeping position (lying face up). Disturbance of the dopaminergic system in the central nervous system has also been suggested to be involved in the etiology of bruxism. Evidence for this comes from observations of the modifying effect of medications which alter dopamine release on bruxing activity, such as levodopa, amphetamines or nicotine. Nicotine stimulates release of dopamine, which is postulated to explain why bruxism is twice as common in smokers compared to non-smokers. Many studies have reported significant psychosocial risk factors for bruxism, particularly a stressful lifestyle, and this evidence