Smartphone application to report awake bruxism

Abstract

Background: Together with psychosocial and hereditary factors, bruxism is a possible risk factor for orofacial pain. Bruxism is defined as a masticatory muscle activity characterized by repetitive or sustained tooth contact, or by bracing or thrusting of the mandible. A smartphone application to report awake bruxism (AB) has been developed and translated into more than 25 languages. Objective(s): To translate the application into Swedish, adapt it to Swedish culture and conduct a study to evaluate the usability of the application for studies on family history and associated risk factors. Methods: Translation and cultural adaption of the Swedish version of the application (BruxApp) was carried out in a four-step sequential process. Ten young adults (22–30 years) were recruited together with ten parents (42–67 years) and reported their AB with the application over two seven-day periods. Pain, stress and parafunctional behaviours were assessed by questionnaires. Results: The back translation check showed minimal discrepancies between the translation and the English version. Participants did not report any problems with the application. Response rates for both groups were 65%. A difference in frequency of AB was shown between young adults and parents (22.0% vs. 12.5%, p