Alkan, Bulut, Arici, Sato IntRoductIno The Glossary of Prosthodontic Terms defines bruxism as the parafunctional grinding of teeth or an oral habit consisting of involuntary rhythmic or spasmodic nonfunctional gnashing, grinding, or clenching of teeth in other than chewing movements of the mandible, which may lead to occlusal trauma.1 Parafunctional masticatory activity includes nonproductive diurnal and nocturnal clenching or grinding of teeth (bruxism), which is associated with stress and is generally believed to have deleterious effects on the masticatory system.2 Patients report such activities during sleep and sometimes even more whilst awake. Psychological factors such as anxiety or stress increase the rate of bruxism.3 Parafunctional activities can also produce muscle pain.4 A more complex variant of the “bruxing leads to pain” model, the psychophysiological model of myofascial face pain, postulates that stress is an initiating and maintaining cause of bruxism. That is, life stressors are believed to lead to distress or “tension” in the individual, which can then lead to dysfunctional oral habits, tooth-grinding or clenching.5 The treatment of bruxism has involved several different techniques: (i) reversible occlusal therapy, such as various occlusal appliances; (ii) emotional stress therapy, such as relaxation techniques, biofeedback, and hypnotherapy; (iii) physiotherapy, such as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, acupuncture, and manual techniques; and (iv) pharmacologic therapy, such as nonopioid analgesics, corticosteroids, anxiolytic agents, local anestetics, tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). TCAs have been specifically advocated for the treatment of nocturnal bruxism.6 In clinical research on occlusion, various techniques are used to assess the nature of occlusal contacts in the intercuspal position. However, few techniques can make a quantitative analysis of occlusal contact area and occlusal force. Recently, a pressure-sensitive device, the Dental Prescale & Occluzer computer, was developed by Fuji Photo Film Co (Tokyo, Japan).7 The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the short-term effects of maxillary full- coverage occlusal splint therapy and the use of October 2008 - Vol.2 TCA on bite force and occlusal contact area in patients with nocturnal bruxism. Comparison of the results with those of the healthy subjects was also done. MAteRIALs And MetHods Ten patients (9 females, 1 male) with a history of nocturnal bruxism participated in this study. The mean age of the patients was 20.5 years (range, 18-29 years). Clinical examinations were completed intraorally and extraorally by the same examiner (E.B). The intraoral examination included maximum mouth opening and an occlusal examination. The mean of their maximum mouth opening was 40.12±6.5 millimeter. The pain intensity was continuously scored by the subjects on a 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) with the lower extreme labeled ‘no pain’ and the upper extreme labeled ‘most pain imaginable’. The outcome measures of VAS was taken at baseline, at 1 months and at 3 months after the start of treatment. The extraoral examination included the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and muscle examination. The inclusion criteria for this study group were: 1. The presence of nocturnal clenching or grinding of teeth. 2. The presence of dull, continuous pain localized in a masticatory muscle area. 3. Patients experienced pain in the morning. 4. No complaints of symptoms of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. 5. All of the study subjects had to have complete dentitions with Class I molar relationships. Consent forms were obtained from all subjects and the study was approved by the Ethical Committee for Ondokuz Mayis University. The bruxing patients were randomly divided into two groups for splint or amitriptiline therapy applications. The same examiner delivered both the splint and medication therapies (E.B). The bite force and occlusal contact area were checked by a second examiner (S.S) who was not informed of the therapy that each individual was receiving. A maxillary full-coverage hard acrylic appliance, which is often called a stabilization splint, was used in five patients (Group S). The thickness of the splint was approximately one 277 European Journal of Dentistry