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Smartphone-based application for EMA assessment of awake bruxism: compliance evaluation in a sample of healthy young adults

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Abstract

Objective

A smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) strategy to collect real time data on awake bruxism (AB) has been recently introduced. The aim of this study was to assess the compliance with its use over 1 week in a sample of healthy young adults.

Method

Sixty (N = 60) healthy young adults (mean age 24.2 ± 4.1 years) used a dedicated smartphone application that sent 20 alerts at random times throughout the day. Upon alert receipt, the subjects had to report in real time their condition among five possible options: relaxed jaw muscles, teeth contact, teeth clenching, teeth grinding, and mandible bracing. Compliance rate with the app was assessed at the individual and group level in terms of percentage of answered alerts as well as number of days that were needed to reach the targeted observation period of 7 days with a compliance of at least 60%.

Results

The mean compliance recorded with the smartphone application was 67.8% of the total alerts. On average, 9.8 ± 3.2 days (range 7–19) have been necessary to achieve the targeted goal of 7 days with a minimum of 60% alerts/day. No gender differences were detected in any compliance data. Response rate was not different during weekdays or weekends.

Conclusions

This investigation is the first attempt to assess individual compliance with EMA for reporting awake bruxism. Results suggest that a smartphone-based strategy can have interesting potential. The compliance rate reported in this study will serve as a comparison standpoint for future investigations.

Clinical significance

Based on the recent multidisciplinary focus on the study of awake bruxism, EMA has emerged as a potential approach for use in the clinical and research settings. This investigation suggests that compliance with such strategy is good, thus making it worthy of adoption for the assessment of AB and its clinical implications.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the undergraduate student Fabio Grandi. His help and assistance have been fundamental during data collection phases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate School of Orthodontics, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

    Anna Colonna, Luca Lombardo, Giuseppe Siciliani & Daniele Manfredini

  2. Department of Neuroscience, School of Dentistry, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

    Alessandro Bracci

  3. Section of Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery, Treviso Hospital, Treviso, Italy

    Luca Guarda-Nardini

  4. Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy

    Goran Djukic

  5. School of Dentistry, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    Daniele Manfredini

Authors
  1. Anna Colonna
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  2. Luca Lombardo
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  3. Giuseppe Siciliani
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  4. Alessandro Bracci
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  5. Luca Guarda-Nardini
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  6. Goran Djukic
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  7. Daniele Manfredini
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Contributions

AC performed the study and wrote a first draft of the article. LL and GS recruited the participants and helped AC to perform the study. AB performed the statistical analysis and revised the manuscript. GD provided software assistance throughout the study. LGN managed the correspondence with the ethical committee and revised the manuscript. DM conceptualized and supervised the investigation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anna Colonna.

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Conflict of interest

Author DM took part as a non-paid advisor to the development of the BruxApp software; author AB ideated the BruxApp software and is the copyright owner; author GD developed the BruxApp software; authors AC, LL, GS, and LG-N do not have any conflict of interests concerning this investigation.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (Treviso Hospital’s IRB, code #344-CES-AULSS9) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Colonna, A., Lombardo, L., Siciliani, G. et al. Smartphone-based application for EMA assessment of awake bruxism: compliance evaluation in a sample of healthy young adults. Clin Oral Invest 24, 1395–1400 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-019-03098-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-019-03098-2

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