Ecological Momentary Assessment of Awake Bruxism Behaviors: A Scoping Review of Findings from Smartphone-Based Studies in Healthy Young Adults

Background: The recent introduction of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) smartphone-based strategies has allowed achieving some interesting data on the frequency of different awake bruxism (AB) behaviors reported by an individual in the natural environment. Objective: The present paper aims to review the literature on the reported frequency of AB based on data gathered via smartphone EMA technology. Methods: On September 2022, a systematic search in the Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases was performed to identify all peer-reviewed English-language studies assessing awake bruxism behaviors using a smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment. The selected articles were assessed independently by two authors according to a structured reading of the articles' format (PICO). Results: A literature search, for which the search terms Awake Bruxism and Ecological Momentary Assessment were used, identified 15 articles. Of them, eight fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The results of seven studies using the same smartphone-based app reported a frequency of AB behaviors in the range between 28.3 and 40% over one week, while another investigation adopted a different smartphone-based EMA approach via WhatsApp using a web-based survey program and reported an AB frequency of 58.6%. Most included studies were based on convenience samples with limited age range, highlighting the need for more studies on other population samples. Conclusions: Despite the methodological limits, the results of the reviewed studies provide a standpoint for comparison for future studies on the epidemiology of awake bruxism behaviors.

Automated summary

The recent use of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) smartphone-based strategies has allowed researchers to gather interesting data on the frequency of awake bruxism (AB) behaviors in natural environments. This systematic review identified 8 English-language studies that assessed AB behaviors using smartphone-based EMA. The results showed that AB behaviors ranged from 28.3% to 40% over one week using the same smartphone app, while a different EMA approach via WhatsApp reported an AB frequency of 58.6%. Despite methodological limitations, these studies provide a groundwork for future research on the epidemiology of awake bruxism behaviors.