WARNING
THIS VERSION IS INTENDED FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY BY THE UNLOCK CODE.
By Prof. Daniele Manfredini
The recent international consensus on bruxism (San Francisco 2017) has further reconceptualized bruxism.
To this aim, a new definition is under preparation, and new assessment paradigms are being discussed.
Among these, the introduction of an ecological momentary assessment (EMA), which provides an on-time self-report of the current condition, looks a very promising strategy to get deeper into the evaluation of several epidemiological, etiological, and management issues concerning AB.
Based on that, a smartphone application (BruxApp) has been ideated and developed to apply the EMA principles by the use of currently available technology.
In addition, a specific version of the application and web platform has been implemented for the research projects, that is BruxAppResearch
Meanwhile, translation efforts have been performed thanks to the recruited centers and researchers that will take care of AB/EMA projects in several countries. The application runs into English, Italian, Portuguese, German, and Spanish languages, and will be soon available in French, Polish, Lithuanian, Finnish, Croatian, Bosniac language.
Multicenter studies are under preparation and will hopefully give life to the largest epidemiological data gathering in bruxism literature.
Future researches on the prevalence of AB activities (e.g., teeth clenching, jaw clenching, teeth grinding, teeth contact) in healthy individuals and their additive frequency in selected populations with comorbid conditions (e.g., psychological and social impairment, orofacial pain, sleep disorders) will shed light into the phenomenology of the behaviors.