Pathological Tooth Wear (also known as tooth surface loss) is on the increase, as indicated by the most recent Adult and Children’s Dental Health Surveys.

Recognising that tooth wear has the potential to be a serious issue in the UK in the future if preventative action is not fully embraced, its incidence and significance was recorded in the Adult Dental Survey (ADHS) for the first time in 1998, and this exercise was repeated in the latest offering. Comparison of the two surveys shows that in just 11 years the incidence of pathological tooth wear in England has increased by 10%.
As for the Children’s Dental Health Survey, it tells us, for example, that 33% of five-year-olds demonstrated tooth surface loss (TSL) on one or more of the buccal surfaces of the primary upper incisors, while a quarter of 12-year-olds were reported to have TSL on the molars and the buccal surface of the incisors. In addition, 15-year-olds were shown to be more adversely affected than 12-year-olds when TSL on the occlusal surface of molars was measured (31% compared to 25%).

LOOKING AHEAD

Commenting on this worrying trend, Professor Andrew Eder, clinical director of the London Tooth Wear Centre, said, ‘Irrespective of age and circumstance, patients need to be aware that, amongst other issues, poor drink and food choices, eating disorders, stress-related bruxism and traumatic oral hygiene measures can all cause considerable tooth wear.

If we are to have any chance of subverting the oral health outcome that the statistics indicate, it is incumbent upon all dental professionals to meet this challenge head-on.’

The London Tooth Wear Centre offers an evidence-based and comprehensive approach to managing pathological tooth wear, using the latest clinical techniques and an holistic approach in a professional and friendly environment.

This article was published in Private Dentistry, December 2016.