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Accuracy of the BruxChecker oral device for the assessment of sleep bruxism

British Dental Journal (2026)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective To study the accuracy of BruxChecker in assessing sleep bruxism.

Methods In total, 35 subjects were categorised into two groups: 16 subjects with sleep bruxism (SB) and 19 with no sleep bruxism (NSB). Each participant wore a BruxChecker for 14 consecutive nights. Wear patterns were evaluated on nights one, seven and fourteen, focusing on abrasion (wear without perforation) and perforation areas. Clinical assessment was the reference standard, with BruxChecker perforation indicating a positive result for SB.

Results The mean age was 28.0 ± 9.3 years (SB) and 21.6 ± 1.7 years (NSB). The SB group exhibited significantly larger abraded areas on the BruxChecker compared to the NSB group on all three nights. Additionally, the SB group had significantly greater perforation on the fourteenth night. The diagnostic performance of the BruxChecker varied over time. On the first night, sensitivity and specificity were 31% and 84%, respectively. By the seventh night, these values were 63% and 42%, respectively. On the fourteenth night, sensitivity increased to 94%, with specificity decreased to 32%.

Conclusions BruxChecker may offer a practical and relatively cost-effective tool for assessing sleep bruxism in individuals with probable sleep bruxism. Its diagnostic performance appeared to improve when used over 14 consecutive nights, though its accuracy remains limited compared to standard methods.

Key points

  • The BruxChecker offers a comfortable, non-invasive way to assess sleep bruxism. It presents a more affordable option compared to gold-standard assessments like polysomnography, which can be expensive and resource-intensive.

  • The device can help detect signs of bruxism early, potentially preventing long-term damage to teeth, jaw muscles, and joints.

  • Dentists and clinicians can use the data from BruxChecker to better decide whether further investigation or treatment is necessary.

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Data availability

The data that supports the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the support provided by the Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, including the provision of facilities, personnel, and research funding. Finally, we would like to thank all research participants for their valuable contributions to this study.

Funding

This research was funded by the Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand, with no external funding. The BruxChecker® foils used in this study were provided by Scheu-Dental GmbH (Iserlohn, Germany). The source of funding had no influence on the design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication of this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University, Hat-Yai, Songkhla, Thailand

    Pankaew Yakkaphan, Sakarin Tangpothitham & Premthip Chalidapongse

  2. Songkhla Provincial Public Health Office, Ministry of Public Health, Songkhla, Thailand

    Wiphawi Srisomphot

  3. Dental Department, Maharaj Nakhon Si Thammarat Hospital, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand

    Sujira Khaoropphan

  4. Dental Department, Mae Mo Hospital, Lampang, Thailand

    Waroonporn Nitithamakul

  5. Dental Department, Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital, Prachinburi, Thailand

    Prawara Lertniti

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  1. Pankaew Yakkaphan
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  2. Sakarin Tangpothitham
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Contributions

The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows: study conception and design: PY, ST, WS, SK, WN, PL and PC; data collection: PY, ST, WS, SK, WN, PL and PC; analysis and interpretation of results: PY, ST, WS, SK, WN, PL and PC; draft manuscript: PY and ST; reviewed and intellectual contribution: ST and PC. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Premthip Chalidapongse.

Ethics declarations

The authors have no conflict of interest related to this publication. Ethical approval for the study was granted by the Faculty of Dentistry, Prince of Songkla University (EC5701-02-J-LR). Participants in this study signed an informed consent form before taking part.

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Yakkaphan, P., Tangpothitham, S., Srisomphot, W. et al. Accuracy of the BruxChecker oral device for the assessment of sleep bruxism. Br Dent J (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41415-025-9203-4

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