Assessment of awake bruxism by a novel bruxism screener and ecological momentary assessment among patients with masticatory muscle myalgia and healthy controls.

BACKGROUND: Bruxism is a masticatory muscle activity occurring during sleep or wakefulness, involving grinding and clenching of teeth and/or jaw bracing. As yet, the aetiology, epidemiology and consequences of awake bruxism (AB) are largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to AB behaviours using a novel bruxism screener (BruxScreen) questionnaire part and Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA; BruxApp©) on AB behaviours, and to investigate AB's prevalence among masticatory muscle myalgia patients and non-patients. METHODS: Altogether, 115 participants (masticatory myalgia patients referred to a specialist clinic (n = 67) and non-patients (n = 46)) filled in a bruxism screener questionnaire to report bruxism behaviours and jaw symptoms. A selection of both groups did a week-long EMA (patients n = 12, non-patients n = 11) to report AB behaviours. The chi-squared test was used to determine group differences in categorical variables. A logistic regression model was fitted to study the probability of AB. RESULTS: According to BruxScreen, bruxism behaviours and jaw symptoms were more frequent in patients than in non-patients (p < .001). Based on EMA, 14.6% of the behaviour in patients was tooth clenching; for non-patients, this was 0.5% (p < .000). Relaxed muscles were reported by patients and non-patients at 20.6% and 56.4%, respectively (p < .021). Logistic regression, adjusted by age and sex, revealed that patients reported AB 5 times more often than non-patients (OR 4.8, 95% CI 2.1-11.2). CONCLUSION: Awake bruxism behaviours are significantly more frequent in masticatory muscle myalgia patients than non-patients and associate with frequent bruxism-related symptoms. Self-reported teeth clenching seems to be the most significant sign of AB behaviour.

Translation and cultural adaptation of the Standardized Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism (STAB) and the Bruxism Screener (BruxScreen): A 12-step guideline.

BACKGROUND: Recently, the Standardized Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism (STAB) and the bruxism screener (BruxScreen) have been developed for use in research and clinical settings. OBJECTIVE: As to ascertain high-quality use of both instruments worldwide, it was our aim to develop a guideline for the translation and cultural adaptation of the STAB and the BruxScreen. METHODS AND RESULTS: This paper describes a 12-step guideline for the translation and cultural adaptation of the STAB and the BruxScreen. A format of a translation log is provided as well. Besides, a website has been created for the guidance of translation teams. CONCLUSION: Following the 12 steps, new language versions of the STAB and the BruxScreen will be ready for further testing (reliability, validity, responsiveness and interpretability) and, ultimately, application in research and clinics around the world.

Awake bruxism in temporomandibular disorders patients referred to tertiary care: A retrospective study on its assessment and TMD management.

BACKGROUND: Bruxism is defined as a repetitive jaw-muscle activity characterised by clenching or grinding of the teeth and/or by bracing or thrusting of the mandible. Bruxism can occur during sleep (sleep bruxism, SB) or during wakefulness (awake bruxism, AB). To date, the effect of AB on the purported negative consequences of bruxism has remained unclear. OBJECTIVES: The assessment of AB, its relation to temporomandibular disorders (TMD) treatment modalities, and their possible outcomes were investigated among TMD patients resistant to treatment in primary care and referred to a tertiary care clinic. METHODS: The records of 115 patients were studied. Patients were referred to the Head and Neck Centre, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Helsinki University Central Hospital, for TMD treatment between 2017 and 2020. The data derived from the eligible patients' records included the following: background data (age and sex), referral data (reason and previous treatment), medical background (somatic and psychiatric), clinical and possible radiological diagnoses at a tertiary care clinic, treatment modalities for masticatory muscle myalgia, bruxism assessment, its possible treatment modalities and their outcomes, and overall management outcome. We analysed the outcomes of single treatment modalities and combined groups of modalities. For the demographic data, the Chi-squared test and Fischer's Exact test were used to determine the associations between the categorical variables. A Sankey-diagram was used to describe the flow of treatment. RESULTS: Temporomandibular joint-pain-dysfunction syndrome (K07.60) was the most frequent single reason to refer a patient to tertiary care (17.4%). At referral, men had myalgia (M79.1) significantly more often (p = .034) than women. Similarly, men had depression (p = .002) more often and other psychiatric diagnoses (p = .034). At tertiary care, the presence of AB was assessed in 53.9%, and self-reported AB was recorded in 48.7%. In patients with possible AB, those who were prescribed neuropathic pain medication showed significantly less improvement in symptoms (p = .021) than those who underwent splint therapy (p = .009). Overall, half of the patients showed overall improvement in their TMD symptoms from the treatment combinations. CONCLUSION: Despite several treatment modalities, only half of the patients showed improvement in their symptoms in the present study. A standardised assessment method encompassing all factors contributing to bruxism behaviours and their consequences is suggested.

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Awake Bruxism Behaviors: A Scoping Review of Findings from Smartphone-Based Studies in Healthy Young Adults.

BACKGROUND: The recent introduction of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) smartphone-based strategies has allowed achieving some interesting data on the frequency of different awake bruxism (AB) behaviors reported by an individual in the natural environment. OBJECTIVE: The present paper aims to review the literature on the reported frequency of AB based on data gathered via smartphone EMA technology. METHODS: On September 2022, a systematic search in the Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases was performed to identify all peer-reviewed English-language studies assessing awake bruxism behaviors using a smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment. The selected articles were assessed independently by two authors according to a structured reading of the articles' format (PICO). RESULTS: A literature search, for which the search terms "Awake Bruxism" and "Ecological Momentary Assessment" were used, identified 15 articles. Of them, eight fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The results of seven studies using the same smartphone-based app reported a frequency of AB behaviors in the range between 28.3 and 40% over one week, while another investigation adopted a different smartphone-based EMA approach via WhatsApp using a web-based survey program and reported an AB frequency of 58.6%. Most included studies were based on convenience samples with limited age range, highlighting the need for more studies on other population samples. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the methodological limits, the results of the reviewed studies provide a standpoint for comparison for future studies on the epidemiology of awake bruxism behaviors.

Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives on Awake Bruxism Assessment: Expert Consensus Recommendations.

Awake bruxism (AB) is differentiated from sleep bruxism (SB) by the differences in etiology, comorbidities, and consequences related to the different spectrum of muscle activities exerted in relation to the different circadian manifestations. Furthermore, less literature data are available on AB than on SB. The introduction of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) strategies has allowed for collecting valuable data on the frequency of the different activities reported by an individual in his/her natural environment. This strategy has been further improved with the recent use of smartphone technologies. Recent studies have described an average frequency of AB behaviors, within the range of 23-40% for otherwise healthy young adults. An association between AB and some psychological traits has emerged, and the findings have indicated that patients with musculoskeletal symptoms (e.g., temporomandibular joint and/or muscle pain, muscle stiffness, and fatigue) report higher AB frequencies. Preliminary data suggest that muscle bracing and teeth contact are the most commonly reported behaviors, while teeth clenching is much less frequently reported than commonly believed previously. Report of teeth grinding during wakefulness is almost absent. This paper has critically reviewed the currently available approaches for the assessment of AB. In addition, some future perspectives and suggestions for further research have been provided.

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Awake Bruxism with a Smartphone Application Requires Prior Patient Instruction for Enhanced Terminology Comprehension: A Multi-Center Study.

The prevalence of awake bruxism (AB) has been reported as being 30%, with sleep bruxism (SB) at 9−15%. Most studies have focused on SB, emphasizing the importance of AB research. For epidemiological evaluations of AB, a smartphone application based on ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was introduced. The aims of this multi-center study were: (1) to investigate how well lay subjects comprehend the AB terminology used in the smartphone application, and (2) to find out whether professional instruction improved their comprehension. The study population consisted of lay subjects from Italy, Portugal, and Finland comprising 307 individuals (156 men, 151 women; 18−86 years). Subjects first completed a five-item questionnaire about the meanings of the five AB terms used in the smartphone application. Each question offered four answer options, with one being correct. Immediately afterwards, the meanings of the terms were instructed. Lastly, the subjects were re-tested with the same questionnaire. In Finland and Italy, the re-tested correct answer scores for the single terms were at 89−97% per term. Improved comprehension was seen across sex, education, and age groups. In the Portuguese data, no improvement was found. Significant differences were found between countries in the improved scores for all terms that were correct following the instruction (Finland, 16.3% to 72.1%; Italy, 32.3% to 83.8%; Portugal, 23.1% to 33.7%) (p < 0.001). In conclusion, standardized instruction on AB terminology prior to EMA is recommended to improve the reliability of collected data.