Erosive Tooth Wear Among Different Tooth Types and Surfaces in Japanese Adults 15 to 89 Years Old.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence of erosive tooth wear on buccal, incisal/occlusal and palatal/lingual surfaces in a wide age range of Japanese adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included a total of 1108 adults aged 15 to 89 years in Tokyo, Japan. The subjects were asked to complete a self-administered nutrition-related questionnaire. Two examiners evaluated tooth wear on the buccal, occlusal/incisal and palatal/lingual surfaces in a full-mouth recording, using a modified Smith and Knight tooth-wear index. Subjects who frequently consumed acidic beverages or food, or had gastric reflux and at least one tooth with an initial enamel smooth-surface wear facet were placed in an erosion-positive group, and the rest of subjects were placed in the erosion-negative group.

RESULTS: 26.1% of the participants were placed in the erosion-positive group. For buccal surfaces, advanced wear progression was predominantly observed on maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth, especially in the youngest age group (15-39 years). On incisal/occlusal surfaces, early dentin exposure was observed in the middle age group (40-49 years) in the erosion-positive group. For palatal/lingual surfaces, wear progression was mainly observed on maxillary anterior teeth among 30- to 39-year olds and 50- to 59-year-old in the erosion-positive group, but that prevalence was lower than for the other tooth surfaces.

CONCLUSIONS: For all age groups of Japanese adults, the prevalence of erosive tooth wear depended on tooth types and surfaces.