Question
My son is 14 months old, and lately, I’ve been hearing him grind his teeth at night. What could be the cause, and is it a sign of any illness?
Answer
Children may occasionally grind their teeth in their sleep without realizing it, a phenomenon that usually occurs after overeating or excessive excitement. After a heavy meal, there is a large amount of undigested food in the gastrointestinal tract, causing the child’s entire digestive system to continue working even after they fall asleep. This continuous activity of digestion and absorption stimulates the child’s chewing muscles, leading to grinding teeth during sleep. Additionally, grinding teeth can also occur in dreams after the child is overly excited. In addition to these reasons, if a child frequently grinds their teeth, parasitic diseases and rickets could also be contributing factors. Roundworms are parasites that reside in the human intestines. While they absorb nutrients, they also secrete toxins that stimulate the intestinal wall, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain, irritability, and nighttime grinding teeth. Therefore, parents should administer deworming medication to their children under a doctor’s recommendation. Furthermore, children with rickets may have a deficiency in vitamin D and poor absorption of calcium due to the condition. This not only causes symptoms such as a square head, outward curvature of the ribs at the lower edge, and pigeon chest during growth but also leads to symptoms of the nervous system such as excessive sweating, night terrors, and restlessness. Nighttime grinding teeth is also one of these symptoms. Treatment should be sought promptly.