3D Occlusal Tooth Wear Assessment in Presence of Limited Changes in Non-Occlusal Surfaces.

Nikolaos Gkantidis,Demetrios Halazonetis,Christos Katsaros,Yijin Ren,Konstantinos Dritsas

doi:10.3390/diagnostics11061033

Abstract

The study aimed to develop an accurate and convenient 3D occlusal tooth wear assessment technique, applicable when surfaces other than the occlusal undergo changes during the observation period. Various degrees of occlusal tooth wear were simulated in vitro on 18 molar and 18 premolar plaster teeth. Additionally, their buccal and lingual surfaces were gently grinded to induce superficial changes and digital dental models were generated. The grinded and the original tooth crowns were superimposed using six different 3D techniques (two reference areas with varying settings; gold standard: GS). Superimposition on intact structures provided the GS measurements. Tooth wear volume comprised the primary outcome measure. All techniques differed significantly to each other in their accuracy (p < 0.001). The technique of choice (CCD: complete crown with 30% estimated overlap of meshes) showed excellent agreement with the GS technique (median difference: 0.045, max: 0.219 mm3), no systematic error and sufficient reproducibility (max difference < 0.040 mm3). Tooth type, tooth alignment in the dental arches, and amount of tooth wear did not significantly affect the results of the CCD technique (p > 0.01). The suggested occlusal tooth wear assessment technique is straightforward and offers accurate outcomes when limited morphological changes occur on surfaces other than the occlusal.

Highlights

Tooth wear is the loss of tooth structure that occurs during time; it has very high occurrence in the population
We suggested accurate 3D superimposition methods to assess tooth wear on intraorally obtained serial digital dental models, using techniques applicable under various clinical conditions [10,11]
Method was previously developed to visualize and quantify occlusal tooth wear on teeth The method was previously developed to visualize and quantify occlusal tooth wear on that remain intact in all surfaces, apart from the occlusal [10]

Summary

Introduction

Tooth wear is the loss of tooth structure that occurs during time; it has very high occurrence in the population. It is of multifactorial etiology and it can be a result of normal function, parafunction, or of environmental factors, such as highly acidic food. Apart from dental esthetic impairment, excessive tooth wear may even alter facial morphology or speech, negatively impacting quality of life. Several previous studies have addressed this issue and suggested various qualitative and quantitative approaches to assess tooth wear. The qualitative approaches, such as the Eccles index, the Tooth Wear Index, the Lussi index, or the Basic

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Discussion

Conclusion