The bruxism screener (BruxScreen): Development, pilot testing and face validity

Background: To assess awake and sleep bruxism, the Standardised Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism (STAB) is currently being developed. The STAB will be a comprehensive tool for the detailed assessment of bruxism behaviour itself as well as of its possible consequences, causes, and comorbid conditions. Objective: Since the STAB cannot fully meet the ‘A4 principle’ for a bruxism assessment tool, i.e., being Accurate (reliable and valid), Applicable (feasible), Affordable (cost-effective), and Accessible (suitable for everyday clinical use), the Bruxism Screener (BruxScreen) has been developed to be used in large-scale epidemiological research projects and, especially, in general, dental practices. Methods: The BruxScreen consists of two parts: a questionnaire (BruxScreen-Q) to be completed by patients, and a clinical assessment form (BruxScreen-C) to be completed by dentists. Results: This paper describes the development of the BruxScreen and provides the outcomes of the pilot testing phase and the face validity assessment (i.e. that the first impressions of the tool indicate that it adequately reflects the construct to be measured). Conclusion: The resulting BruxScreen is considered ready for more profound psychometric testing in the general dental setting.