Design and Validation of an Instrument to Assess Awake Bruxism in Adults.

Abstract

The definition of bruxism has evolved over the past few years. Currently, two clinical presentations are recognized: Sleep Bruxism (SB) and Awake Bruxism (AB). Although various bruxism assessment strategies have been developed to guide clinical practice, no specific, valid, reliable tool has been designed specifically for patients with AB. Aim: To design and validate a questionnaire to assess the presence, severity and symptomatology of AB. Secondary objectives included exploring the clinical and psychiatric manifestations of AB. Materials and Method: A prospective case-control study was conducted on 14 AB cases and 20 healthy controls. The presence or absence of the condition was confirmed by electromyographic study. A specific questionnaire for AB (AB-Q) was developed, and AB psychometric properties were evaluated. The AB-Q consists of 24 items grouped into four domains. The reliability, sensitivity and specificity of the AB-Q were assessed. Results: Significant differences were observed between groups: EMG-confirmed bruxism episodes were recorded in all 14 AB patients and none of the controls. The AB-Q showed high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.924) and strong discriminative capacity, with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 90%. A significant association was found between bruxism and the presence of anxiety and depressive disorders, as well as obsessivecompulsive traits. Conclusion: The AB-Q questionnaire proved to be a useful tool with acceptable clinimetric properties for assessing the presence and severity of bruxism.