INTRODUCTION: Tooth wear is a global problem that involves an irreversible, non-carious loss of dental hard tissues due to repetitive physical contacts or chemical dissolution. The objective of the study was to determine the frequency and influential factors of tooth wear among patients visiting AKUH dental clinic.
METHODOLOGY: Male and female patients in the age range of 20-70 years, presenting to Aga Khan University Hospital with symptomatic or asymptomatic tooth wear in their permanent dentition were included in the study. Clinical examination included tooth wear assessment of all incisors and first molars using Smith and Knight Tooth Wear Index. All findings were recorded into the examination proforma. Data was analyzed and influential factors (such as bruxism, lack of canine guidance and TMJ clicking etc.) of the tooth wear were determined by using Chi square test.
RESULTS: There were 114 subjects, 64 males and 50 females. The mild, moderate, moderately severe and severe tooth wear was observed in 23%, 36%, 28% and 12% of the subjects, respectively. Both genders had similar tooth wear scores. Among molars, occlusal surface was affected more with the wear compared to buccal/ lingual surface. Incisors exhibited more tooth wear on the incisal surface compared to labia or palatal/lingual surfaces.
CONCLUSIONS: Age more than 45 years and presence of TMJ clicking was found to be significantly associated with the tooth wear in incisors and molars. The occlusal and incisal surfaces among bruxers were affected more with tooth wear compared to their other tooth surfaces.
Key words: Tooth wear; tooth attrition; tooth abrasion; tooth erosion
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