Relationship between occlusal contact pattern and non-carious cervical lesions among male adults

Abstract

PURPOSE: Whether or not occlusal contact patterns cause non-carious cervical lesions is controversial. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between occlusal contact pattern and non-carious cervical lesions in male Japanese adults. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 386 male employees were enrolled. All participants were in the age range 30–59 years, participated in a dental examination, had posterior occlusal support, and had not been treated for malocclusion or any temporomandibular disorder. All non-carious cervical lesions and fillings in the labial buccal surfaces of all teeth were recorded. Fillings were considered to be the same as non-carious cervical lesions. Information about tooth brushing habits was collected with a questionnaire. Chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. RESULTS: Fifty-eight percent of the subjects had non-carious cervical lesions. The first premolars showed the highest prevalence of non-carious cervical lesions. The presence of non-carious cervical lesions was associated with age (P < 0.001) and mediotrusive-side contact (P = 0.030), but not with laterotrusive-side contact (P = 0.073) or frequency of tooth brushing (P = 0.425), according to chi-square tests. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that subjects with bilateral mediotrusive-side contact (adjusted odds ratio = 2.19 vs. no contact, P = 0.007) and laterotrusive-side contact in incisor-canine-premolar areas (adjusted odds ratio = 2.27 vs. incisor-canine areas, P = 0.036) were at increased risk of having non-carious cervical lesions after adjusting for age. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral mediotrusive-side and laterotrusive-side contacts in incisor-canine-premolar areas were significantly associated with the presence of non-carious cervical lesions after adjusting for age in male adults.