The Relationship Between Self Reports of Sleep Bruxism
and the Measurement of Sleep Bruxism Using a
Validated Portable Electronic Device: A Pilot Study

Author(s): Yanez-Regonesi, F, Okeson, J, Carlson, C, Moreno-Hay, I. Affiliations: Orofacial Pain Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA.

Aim of Investigation: Over the last decades, tooth wear and pain upon awakening in the masticatory muscles and/or morning headaches have been attributed to sleep bruxism (SB). Given the difficulty performing laboratory polysomnography, the diagnosis of SB has relied on self-reported questionnaires. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between findings from a portable device for the assessment of SB (Bruxoff®) and a self-report questionnaire; as well as to identify relationships between SB, tooth wear, pain upon awakening, and scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Bruxoff® was validated against a home sleep study in a previous study.

Methods: Patients underwent one night study with the Bruxoff® and completed the American Academy of Sleep Medicine questionnaire for evaluation of self-reported bruxism. Symptoms of depression were assessed using the BDI-II. Pearson correlation analysis was utilized.

Results: From the 20 patients recruited, 7 were diagnosed with SB based on the results of the Bruxoff®. There was no relationship between experimental diagnosis of SB and self-reported bruxism, tooth wear or pain/headache upon awakening(p’s=0.44,0.89,0.924 respectively). There was, however, significant relationship between symptoms of depression and experimental SB diagnosis(p=0.044).

Conclusions: Based on the results of this pilot study, no relationship was found between the experimental diagnosis of SB and any of the clinical signs and symptoms of SB studied. The positive relationship between scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and SB suggests careful examination of the role of depression in SB. Further research is needed to compare with laboratory polysomnography.

Acknowledgements and/or Funding Source: None.