Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026
Acquisition and Semi-Automated Analysis of Respiratory Muscle Surface Electromyography
Published on: January 24, 2025
Agreement between jaw-muscle activity measurement with portable single-channel electromyography and polysomnography
Claudia Restrepo1, Frank Lobbezoo2,3, Eduardo Castrillon3,4
1CES-LPH Research Group, Universidad CES, Medellín, Colombia.
Insights
The GrindCare Measure (GCM) using electromyography (EMG) was not accurate for assessing sleep bruxism (SB) in children compared to polysomnography (PSG). Multiple nights of GCM recordings did not improve accuracy for diagnosing childhood sleep bruxism.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Dental Sleep Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for sleep bruxism (SB) diagnosis but is costly and complex.
- PSG's limitations hinder its use in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess night-to-night variability of electromyography (EMG) episodes using the GrindCare Measure (GCM) over five nights.
- To evaluate the agreement between GCM and PSG in measuring masticatory muscle activity (MMA) in children.
Main Methods:
- Forty-seven children underwent a five-night GCM recording.
- Simultaneous GCM and PSG recordings were conducted on the final night.
- Spearman correlation coefficients were used for data analysis.
Main Results:
- No significant correlation was found between GCM and PSG measurements for SB episodes or masticatory muscle activity.
- Simultaneous GCM and PSG data from the fifth night showed no significant correlation.
- Extended GCM recording over five nights did not improve correlation with PSG.
Conclusions:
- The GCM's EMG measurement is not accurate for detecting PSG-defined sleep bruxism in children.
- Multiple GCM assessment nights offer no advantage in improving correlation with PSG due to night-to-night variability.
Background:
Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard for sleep bruxism (SB) assessment. High economical costs, complex technical equipment, and unfamiliar laboratory setting limit its use in children.
Aim:
To determine the night-to-night variability of electromyography (EMG) episodes during a five-night recording with the GrindCare Measure (GCM), and the agreement in the assessment of masticatory muscle activity (MMA) between GCM and PSG in children.
Design:
Forty-seven children from clinics of Universidad CES participated. Each participant was assessed with GCM for five consecutive nights. The last night, children underwent a single-night PSG study, together with the GCM. Spearman correlation coefficients were used to analyze data.
Results:
The frequency of SB occurrence was 'sometimes' in 12 (25.5%) and 'usually' in 19 (40.4%) children. Simultaneous measurements with GCM and PSG obtained during the fifth night of measurement were not significantly correlated. Correlation between GCM total EMG episodes and EMG episodes/h and PSG total SB episodes, SB episodes/h, total bursts and burst/h measured with PSG was also not significant.
Conclusion:
EMG measurement with GCM was not accurate to detect PSG/SB in children. There was not advantage of multiple assessment for five nights with GCM, reducing the impact of night-to-night EMG episodes' variability on the GCM/PSG correlation.
