Moving beyond bruxism episode index: Discarding misuse of the number of sleep bruxism episodes as masticatory muscle pain biomarker

Mieszko Wieckiewicz*, Helena Martynowicz, Gilles Lavigne, Takafumi Kato, Frank Lobbezoo, Joanna Smardz, Jari Ahlberg, Efraim Winocur, Alona Emodi-Perlman, Claudia Restrepo, Anna Wojakowska, Pawel Gac, Grzegorz Mazur, Marta Waliszewska-Prosol, Witold Swienc, Daniele Manfredini

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the clinical utility of bruxism episode index in predicting the level of masticatory muscle pain intensity. The study involved adults (n = 220) recruited from the Outpatient Clinic of Temporomandibular Disorders at the Department of Experimental Dentistry, Wroclaw Medical University, during the period 2017–2022. Participants underwent medical interview and dental examination, focusing on signs and symptoms of sleep bruxism. The intensity of masticatory muscle pain was gauged using the Numeric Rating Scale. Patients identified with probable sleep bruxism underwent further evaluation through video-polysomnography. Statistical analyses included the Shapiro–Wilk test, Spearman's rank correlation test, association rules, receiver operating characteristic curves, linear regression, multivariate regression and prediction accuracy analyses. The analysis of correlation and one-factor linear regression revealed no statistically significant relationships between bruxism episode index and Numeric Rating Scale (p > 0.05 for all analyses). Examination of receiver operating characteristic curves and prediction accuracy indicated a lack of predictive utility for bruxism episode index in relation to masticatory muscle pain intensity. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated no discernible relationship between bruxism episode index and Numeric Rating Scale across all examined masticatory muscles. In conclusion, bruxism episode index and masticatory muscle pain intensity exhibit no correlation, and bruxism episode index lacks predictive value for masticatory muscle pain. Clinicians are advised to refrain from employing the frequency of masticatory muscle activity as a method for assessing the association between masticatory muscle pain and sleep bruxism.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere14301
Pages (from-to)1-12
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of Sleep Research
Volume34
Issue number1
Early online date12 Aug 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Sleep Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Sleep Research Society.

Keywords

  • bruxism episode index
  • masticatory muscle pain
  • numeric rating scale
  • polysomnography
  • sleep bruxism

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