Erosion-Related Tooth Wear: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment, 3rd edition

Course overview

Tooth wear is defined as the loss of dental hard tissue by a chemical or mechanical process that does not involve bacteria. The mechanisms of tooth wear include erosion, attrition, abrasion, and abfraction. Dental erosion results from chemical processes and is an important cause of tooth tissue loss in both children and adults. The damage caused by erosion can be accelerated when it occurs in combination with attrition or abrasion. Unlike erosion, abrasion and attrition are the result of physical wear. Abrasion describes an abnormal wearing away of the tooth substance by causes other than mastication - such as tooth brushing or other oral habits - resulting in the physical removal of tooth structure. Attrition is the mechanical wear resulting from mastication or parafunction, limited to contacting surfaces of the teeth. Abfraction is the pathological loss of tooth structure at the cervical region of teeth due to biomechanical forces. Early recognition of tooth wear is essential to successful management and prevention of disease progression. The primary dental care team is in the ideal position to provide this care to patients with dental erosion and other forms of tooth wear. This intermediate-level course provides dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants with an overview of the etiology of tooth wear and explains the pathogenic processes involved in tooth erosion. It describes the necessary protocol for assessing erosion in patients and making a diagnosis. Preventive measures and treatment approaches are included.