Tooth wear – facing the future

Recognising that tooth wear has the potential to be a serious issue in the UK in the future if preventive action is not fully embraced, its incidence and significance was recorded in the Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) for the first time in 1998, and this exercise was repeated in the latest offering. Comparison of the two surveys shows that in just 11 years the incidence of tooth wear in England has increased by 10 per cent.

As for the Children’s Dental Health Survey, it tells us, for example, that 33 per cent of five year olds demonstrated tooth surface loss (TSL) on one or more of the buccal surfaces of the primary upper incisors, while a quarter of 12 year olds were reported to have TSL on the molars and the buccal surface of the incisors. In addition, 15 year olds were shown to be more adversely affected than the 12 year olds when TSL on the occlusal surface of molars was measured (31 per cent compared to 25 per cent).