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Original Research

Open Access Special Issue

Translation, cultural adaptation, and pilot testing of the standardized tool for the assessment of bruxism and the bruxism screener in China

  • XuTong Song1
  • SiYi Mo1
  • YaoJun Zhang1
  • Yuan Li1
  • JingWen Liu1
  • Frank Lobbezoo2,3
  • Daniele Manfredini4
  • Jari Ahlberg5
  • Alessandro Bracci6
  • Jie Lei7
  • KaiYuan Fu7
  • Xiaoxiang Xu1,*,
  • Ye Cao1,7,*,

1Department of Prosthodontics, Center for Oral and Jaw Functional Diagnosis, Treatment and Research, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices & Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology & NHC Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology & NMPA Key Laboratory for Dental Materials, 100081 Beijing, China

2Department of Orofacial Pain and Dysfunction, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 LA Amsterdam, The Netherlands

3Department of Orofacial Pain and Jaw Function, Faculty of Odontology, Malmö University, 205 06 Malmö, Sweden

4Department of Biomedical Technologies, School of Dentistry, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy

5Department of Oral and Maxillofacial, Diseases, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland

6Department of Neurosciences, School of Dentistry, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy

7Center for TMD & Orofacial Pain, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices & Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology & NHC Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology & NMPA Key Laboratory for Dental Materials, 100081 Beijing, China

DOI: 10.22514/jofph.2026.020 Vol.40,Issue 2,March 2026 pp.54-63

Submitted: 27 August 2025 Accepted: 27 October 2025

Published: 12 March 2026

*Corresponding Author(s): Xiaoxiang Xu E-mail: xiaoxiang86@bjmu.edu.cn
*Corresponding Author(s): Ye Cao E-mail: ye.cao@bjmu.edu.cn

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Abstract

Background: The newly established Standardized Tool for the Assessment of Bruxism (STAB) and the bruxism screener (BruxScreen) offer thorough, methodical, and readily available instruments for the evaluation and screening of bruxism in clinical settings and research endeavors. Methods: The Chinese version provided is a translation of the original English text. The Chinese version of the STAB/BruxScreen was developed in accordance with the 12-step guideline for translation and cultural adaptation established by the expert group. The translation team consisted of 13 members: 4 study coordinators, 2 forward translators, 2 rear translators, and 5 expert panelists. Simultaneously, the Chinese iteration of the STAB and BruxScreen underwent pilot testing to assess its comprehensibility and practicality. Pilot testing comprised 60 participants for the STAB (20 patients, 20 dental students, 20 dentists) and 40 independent volunteers for the BruxScreen (20 patients, 10 students, 10 dentists). Results: The STAB completion time averaged 17.8 minutes for patients (self-report) and 11.4 minutes and 14.3 minutes for dentists and dental students (examination), respectively. The BruxScreen-Q (questionnaire) completion time averaged 1.6 minutes, and the BruxScreen-C (clinical examination) duration averaged 1.8 minutes per patient. High comprehensibility was achieved, with 95.5% of the STAB items and 100% of the BruxScreen items requiring no clarification. All 20 dentists (100%) endorsed both tools as clinically feasible. The test-retest and inter-examiner reliability of the BruxScreen showed excellent agreement (Kappa > 0.8, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The Chinese versions demonstrate satisfactory preliminary comprehensibility and feasibility; the BruxScreen shows excellent reliability. Comprehensive validation in larger samples is required before these tools can be applied in clinical practice or large-scale screening.


Keywords

Cross-cultural comparison; Pilot projects; Bruxism; Sleep bruxism


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XuTong Song,SiYi Mo,YaoJun Zhang,Yuan Li,JingWen Liu,Frank Lobbezoo,Daniele Manfredini,Jari Ahlberg,Alessandro Bracci,Jie Lei,KaiYuan Fu,Xiaoxiang Xu,Ye Cao. Translation, cultural adaptation, and pilot testing of the standardized tool for the assessment of bruxism and the bruxism screener in China. Journal of Oral & Facial Pain and Headache. 2026. 40(2);54-63.

URL:

https://www.jofph.com/articles/10.22514/jofph.2026.020

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