Diagnosis of Bruxism in Adults: A Systematic Review

Bruxism is a centrally mediated neurological para-functional movement disorder encompassing clenching, and grinding of teeth, or thrusting and bracing of mandible, which may be performed without conscious awareness. Diagnosis of bruxism can be done with instrumental and non-instrumental tools. Non-instrumental tools include self-reporting, questionnaires, history, and clinical diagnostic criteria. Instrumental tools include the use of intra-oral bite appliances, electromyography, and polysomnography. Polysomnography is considered as the gold standard to diagnose bruxism requiring the presence of special equipment and / or access to a sleep laboratory. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the evidence available for the validity (ability to identify those who have the disease versus those who do not) of non-instrumental tools in the diagnosis of bruxism. The research question for this study was whether non-instrumental tools are sufficient for confirmatory diagnosis of bruxism. PICO was described as 'P'opulation = adults, 'I'ntervention = diagnostic tools, 'Comparison' = non-instrumental tools compared with instrumental tools, and 'O'utcome as results of the intervention. The study was conducted from May 2020 to November 2021. Out of 3,687 reviewed articles, eight articles were selected for final review and reviewed for quality appraisal. It was found that non-instrumental tools or questionnaires are not sufficient for confirmatory diagnosing of bruxism independently. Correlating instrumental recordings with non-instrumental tools such as clinical findings may be a good practice to diagnose bruxism definitely and precisely. Key Words: Diagnosis, Bruxism, History, Electromyography, Polysomnography.