Cervical enamel: a danger zone.

The British Standards Institutions's document (1974) recommending toothpaste specifications states that 'There is no evidence that any toothpaste ever produces a level of abrasion causing harm to dental enamel'. This paper questions the assumption that the enamel crown, especially at the cervical margin, is able to cope with modern dietary insult and a 'good' oral hygiene regimen, regardless of the enamel abrasivity of the dentifrice used. Once the enamel crown is breached the underlying dentine is sensitive and vulnerable to physical damage. In this work the potential rates of erosive and abrasive loss are related to the thickness of the protective enamel and to the relevance of fluoride treatments for adults. It is suggested that improvements in dental care and an increased tooth life expectancy now make the loss of tooth tissues at the cervical margin more important than is apparent at first sight.