Smartwatch Analysis of Sleep Bruxism

Sleep Architecture Patterns in Individuals With Clinically Diagnosed Sleep Bruxism: A Pilot Smartwatch-Based Study

This study aims to investigate the differences in sleep stages and total sleep duration between individuals diagnosed with sleep bruxism and healthy controls. This will be achieved through the use of smartwatches, which offer advantages such as rapid data acquisition, easy accessibility, long-term monitoring capabilities, and the potential to engage a large number of participants.

It is anticipated that the findings of this study will serve as a pioneering effort in utilizing smartwatch applications for the continuous monitoring of sleep bruxism patients. Furthermore, it is expected to provide an alternative methodology for evaluating the impact of bruxism treatments on sleep quality, thereby contributing significantly to the existing literature. As smartwatches become more prevalent in health tracking, it is also envisioned that application developers will increasingly prioritize this area in their software development and updates

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Bruxism, Sleep-Related
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Smartwatch-based Sleep Monitoring

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 62

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Nevşehir Province
    • Nevşehir, Nevşehir Province, Turkey (Türkiye), 50040
      • Cappadocia University Faculty of Dentistry

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of two distinct groups: individuals diagnosed with sleep bruxism and healthy controls, both aged between 18 and 50 years. Participants with sleep bruxism will be recruited from the Oral and Maxillofacial Clinic of Cappadocia University, who have received a definitive diagnosis of sleep bruxism. Healthy control participants, without a history of sleep bruxism or any other sleep disorder, will be recruited from the general community via [e.g., local advertisements, university staff/students, hospital staff]. Both groups will be selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure homogeneity within groups and to facilitate a clear comparison of sleep stages and total sleep duration using smartwatch data.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• • Age 18-50 years.

  • Complete natural dentition (excluding third molars).
  • Willingness to wear a smartwatch for 7 consecutive nights.

Exclusion Criteria:

• • High risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA): Candidates with a STOP-Bang questionnaire score ≥3 or Body Mass Index (BMI) >30 kg/m² were excluded. This was a critical step to ensure that any observed sleep fragmentation was not attributed to respiratory events [21].

  • Systemic and Psychiatric Conditions: History of neurological disorders, psychiatric diagnosis, or systemic diseases (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease) that could alter sleep physiology.
  • Medication Use: Current use of medications affecting the central nervous system or sleep architecture (e.g., antidepressants, sedatives, muscle relaxants).
  • Lifestyle Factors: Excessive alcohol/caffeine consumption, shift work, or irregular sleep-wake schedules.
  • Acute Pain: Presence of acute temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms (e.g., painful restriction) to avoid pain-related sleep disturbances.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Sleep Bruxism Group; This group will include participants diagnosed with sleep bruxism. Sleep stage data and total sleep duration will be collected using smartwatches.	Other: Smartwatch-based Sleep Monitoring; Participants will wear a smartwatch to collect sleep stage data and total sleep duration over a specified period.
Healthy Control Group; This group will include healthy individuals with no diagnosis of sleep bruxism. Sleep stage data and total sleep duration will be collected using smartwatches.	Other: Smartwatch-based Sleep Monitoring; Participants will wear a smartwatch to collect sleep stage data and total sleep duration over a specified period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Total Sleep Duration	Total time spent sleeping during the night as measured by a smartwatch (minutes). Results reported as the average total sleep duration over 7 consecutive nights.	Days 1-7 (average of 7 consecutive nights)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Sleep Stages Distribution	Percentage distribution of sleep stages (NREM1, NREM2, NREM3/Deep, REM) as measured by a smartwatch. Results reported as the average percentage for each stage over 7 consecutive nights.	Days 1-7 (average of 7 consecutive nights)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cappadocia University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Kato T, Rompre P, Montplaisir JY, Sessle BJ, Lavigne GJ. Sleep bruxism: an oromotor activity secondary to micro-arousal. J Dent Res. 2001 Oct;80(10):1940-4. doi: 10.1177/00220345010800101501.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 25, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: bruxism; smartwatch; sleep bruxism
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Stomatognathic Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Tooth Diseases; Sleep Wake Disorders; Parasomnias; Behavior; Habits; Bruxism; Sleep Bruxism
• Other Study ID Numbers: Decision No:24.19 G. O

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No