Standardised Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism: Translation, Cultural Adaptation and Pilot Testing in Italy

Background: Recently, the Standardised Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism (STAB) has been developed for use in clinical and research settings. Objectives: The aim of the present study is to describe the process of forward and back translation and pilot testing of the STAB into Italian. Methods: The English version of the STAB was adopted as a template for translation into other languages, according to a step-by-step procedure led by the expert STAB bruxism panel and mother tongue experts in the field. In detail, the translation team was made up of 12 subjects: three study coordinators, two forward translators, two back-translators and five expert panellists. Following the translation process, a pilot test in patients, dentists and dental students was performed using the ‘probing’ method (i.e., subjects were questioned by the examiners about the perceived content and interpretation of the items) with the aim to assess the comprehensibility of the questions and response options, and the feasibility of the tool. Results: This paper describes the translation process of the STAB and provides the outcomes of the pilot testing phase and the face validity assessment. The preliminary results suggest that, from a global point of view, the STAB reflects the characteristics required in clinical and research settings. Conclusion: Thanks to the translation process, the Italian version of the STAB can be assessed on-field and introduced in the clinical and research field to get deeper into the study of bruxism epidemiology in Italy.