Tooth attrition and the temporomandibular joint.

1. It is thought the differences shown to exist between the unworn sample and the worn sample would have been clearer if the criteria for the classification of worn had been more severe. Examination of the ranges of measurements would make one suspect some subjects suffered dental attrition to a degree that no enamel was left on the occlusal surfaces of the third molars without showing damage elsewhere. The author did not feel competent to assess third molars that had not only lost all their occlusal enamel but also one mm of dentin, so was unable to make his worn classification more stringent. Again the reader is reminded that broeken down or "worn out" dentitions were specifically excluded from the samples...