Diagnostic Accuracy of a Portable Device (Bruxoff®) to Measure Sleep Bruxism.

Abstract

Diagnosis of sleep bruxism (SB) challenges clinicians every day due to multiple forms of assessment tools available, including self-reported questionnaires, clinical examinations, portable devices, and laboratory polysomnography (PSG). PSG has become the gold standard for evaluating SB but it can be limited due to cost and restricted accessibility which often is characterized by long waiting times. Hence, there is a need for the development of a reliable method that can assess SB in a simple and portable manner, which would offer acceptable sensitivity and specificity to evaluate SB. To investigate reliability and validity of the Bruxoff® device for the diagnosis of SB compared to the PSG. 49 subjects underwent one night of polysomnographic study with simultaneous recording with the Bruxoff® device. Rhythmic masticatory muscle activity (RMMA) index was scored according to published criteria. Pearson correlation, Bland-Altman plot, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve outcomes were used to quantify the agreement between both methods. ROC analysis showed an acceptable accuracy for the Bruxoff® with sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 72% when the cut-off was set at 2 events per hour. Pearson correlation analysis showed a nearly significant correlation between PSG and Bruxoff® for RMMA index (r= .282 p= .071) and for total sleep bruxism episodes per night (r=.295 p=.058). Additionally, the Bland-Altman plot revealed a consistent and systematic difference in the measurement of events between devices. The Bruxoff® device appears to be a promising diagnostic method for clinical use but further study is needed.