An investigation of some factors associated with occlusal tooth wear in a selected high-wear sample.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of some factors associated with occlusal tooth wear in a selected high-wear Swedish sample. The material comprised 59 persons having a mean age of 35 yr within the range 16-70 yr, the criteria for selection being a full or near-full complement of natural teeth, and the presence of definite clinical signs of occlusal wear. A dentition wear index, in addition to anterior, posterior, and arch subindices, was derived from a tooth-by-tooth evaluation of casts. Factors which were found to correlate significantly with increased occlusal wear were age, sex, self-perception of wear, number of teeth, and general health, as well as a number of variables from study-cast analysis. On the basis of the findings, not only is the multifactorial etiology of occlusal tooth wear a reality, but so, too, is the complex interdependence of these factors in the severity of wear.