A LONGITUDINAL-STUDY OF TOOTH WEAR IN ORTHODONTICALLY TREATED PATIENTS

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between incisal/occlusal tooth wear during the mixed de ntition and subsequent wear of the adult dentition. Pretreatment ortho dontic records taken during the mixed dentition (T1), as well as follo w-up records taken an average of 20 years later (T2), were available f or 223 orthodontically treated patients. Incisal/occlusal tooth wear w as measured on a tooth-by-tooth basis from T1 and T2 stone casts with a four-category scoring system. Multiple regression analysis (R-2 = 0. 33) indicated that wear could be predicted at a given age during adult hood from wear observed on the deciduous mandibular canines and molars at T1 (p < 0.0001). This predictive relationship was modified by the age at which the T1 wear was observed (p = 0.029) and possibly by the sex of the patient (p = 0.10). These results indicate that adult tooth wear is not independent of the tooth wear that occurred as a child. B ruxism is suggested as a possible common etiologic mechanism that may account for the relationship between childhood and adult tooth wear.