Introduction: Self-report of awake or sleep bruxism (AB/SB) has been the subject of critical scrutiny, as it is yet unclear whether it corresponds to the neurophysiological bruxism activity. Contingent electrical stimulation (CES) has been proposed as a possible treatment that reduces bruxism episodes. The aim of this cohort study was to investigate whether bruxism self-report is influenced by CES.
Methods: Forty healthy adults were allocated to the intervention (N = 20) or control group (N = 20). Each participant filled out the Oral Behavior Checklist (OBC) and an anamnestic questionnaire including questions on bruxism behavior, at the beginning and at the end of the study. The evaluation period was divided into three GrindCare intervals (1 inactive week -2 active CES weeks/ 2 inactive weeks -2 inactive weeks). The OBC score and the amount of positive and negative bruxism answers were compared with baseline using the Wilcoxon test and the McNemar (McN) test.
Results: The OBC score/categories and the self-report of AB/SB did not significantly change (p > 0.05), indicating no effects of CES in the intervention group.
Conclusions: Within the scope of this study, CES could not significantly improve the self-report of bruxism or bruxism-related symptoms. However, it is recommended that the study be repeated with the study design extending the CES intervention to a longer interval and with a larger sample size.