Prevalence of tooth wear in patients attending the department of periodontics, Manipal college of dental sciences, Manipal.

ABSTRACT

Background: Tooth wear is a condition that encompasses attrition, abrasion and erosion and has a multifactorial etiology. Prevalence of tooth wear is reported to be between 5-50%.This wide range probably reflects the various parameters used in assessing of tooth wear and the difficulty in differentiating between the types of tooth wear. Diagnosing tooth wear and eliciting the etiological factors can help in the prevention and treatment of the condition. Aim and objective: To record the prevalence of tooth wear among the patients attending the Department of Periodontics, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal over a period of 3 months. Materials and methods: Patients attending the Department of Periodontics over a three month period were examined. Patient history was taken according to the proforma shown. All teeth were examined and indexed according to Tooth Wear Index given by Smith and Knight (1984)16.All patients with 20 teeth and above in their dentition were included in the study. Results: In the present study the prevalence of tooth wear was found to be 6.1% and that it was seen more among males and increased with age. Mandibular canines were the most commonly affected teeth and incisal and occlusal surfaces of the teeth being commonly affected.