The BruxChecker System for Quantitatively Assessing Sleep Bruxism at the Dental Level: Reliability, Reference Values...

Area of Science:

• Dental Science
• Sleep Medicine
• Biomaterials Science

Background:

• Quantitative assessment of sleep bruxism at the dental level requires reliable instruments.
• Current methods for sleep bruxism assessment lack quantitative dental-level reliability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the test-retest reliability of the occlusal peeled area measured by the BruxChecker.
• To identify methodological factors influencing BruxChecker reliability.
• To establish reference values for the occlusal peeled area in dental students.

Main Methods:

• Eighty-four dental students participated in a test-retest reliability study.
• BruxChecker was worn for three consecutive nights and scanned via transillumination.
• Occlusal peeled area was quantified using FIJI software; reliability was assessed using ICC and Cohen's kappa.

Main Results:

• Transillumination scanning of the BruxChecker after 2-3 nights yielded high reliability (ICC 0.918-0.929).
• BruxChecker perforation was observed in 45% of participants (kappa=0.777).
• Median peeled areas after three nights were 84.3 mm² (absolute) and 9.9% (relative).

Conclusions:

• The BruxChecker system demonstrates excellent test-retest reliability for measuring occlusal peeled area.
• This study provides reference values for absolute and relative peeled areas using BruxChecker with transillumination scanning.
• The BruxChecker is a reliable tool for quantitative dental-level assessment of sleep bruxism.