A system for assessing the severity and progression of occlusal tooth wear

This study represents an attempt to introduce a system for the longitudinal evaluation of the severity and the rate of progression of tooth wear. The material comprised a selected group of 10 males and 10 females, examined twice within an 18-month period. The subjects were predisposed to advanced occlusal wear and had a mean age of 32 years within the range of 16-56 years. Evaluation of occlusal wear was performed on a tooth-by-tooth basis, on study casts, using two ordinal scales, one for assessing the severity, and the other the progression of occlusal wear. The reliability of the scales was assessed by percentage inter-observer concordances. The sample exhibited higher occlusal wear scores in the incisor and canine regions compared to the posterior region. It was found that the overall progression in an 18-month follow-up period was slow. The inter-observer concordance in the evaluation of the severity of wear was 88%, and 91% in the progression of wear. Within the limitations of the described system, the scales may be utilized for determining the severity of occlusal wear and the rate of its deterioration in an individual's dentition. From a clinical standpoint, the need for future treatment may be based on such a evaluation of the progression of wear.