Abstract
Introduction:
There is anecdotal evidence that tooth wear exhibits site-specific patterns involving clusters of teeth and tooth surfaces. To the best of my knowledge, tooth wear patterns have not previously been characterised in a population-based sample. There are many potential aetiological factors for tooth wear proposed in the literature that lack strong evidence.
Aim:
To characterise tooth wear patterns among participants in a population-based cohort and explore whether these patterns are associated with potential tooth wear determinants.
Method:
The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (Dunedin Study) is a longitudinal study of a population-representative birth cohort of 1037 individuals born between 1 April 1972 and 31 March 1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Tooth Wear Index (TWI) was used to assess tooth wear on the four measurable surfaces of each tooth present, based on intraoral scans of participant teeth at age 45. Latent Class Analysis, using Bayesian Information Criterion values for the determination of the number of classes, was utilised to identify tooth wear patterns at the surface level and visual maps of the patterns were created. Multinomial logistic regression (adjusting for sex, childhood SES, and childhood IQ) was used to investigate associations between tooth wear patterns and fourteen potential tooth wear determinants.
Results:
Five tooth wear patterns were identified and represented using colour-coded maps. Pattern one was the most common (42%) and least severe. Patterns two (5%) and five (26%) were the most severe. Sleep bruxism, nail/finger-biting, a deep bite (≥ 5mm), externalising disorders, and alcohol dependency were each associated with more severe patterns of tooth wear.
Conclusion:
Five distinct tooth wear patterns were observed in this cohort of New Zealand adults. Sleep bruxism, nail/finger-biting, a deep bite (≥ 5mm), externalising disorders, and alcohol dependency were associated with more severe tooth wear patterns.