Impact of tooth wear on daily living

Abstracts on this page have been chosen and edited by Dr Trevor Watts

Abstract

Tooth wear had an adverse effect on several aspects of patient satisfaction.

Main

Al-Omiri MK, Lamey P-J et al. Int J Prosthodont 2006; 19: 601–605

Tooth wear (TW) may be physiological or pathological but is irreversible. In some patients it can affect quality of life. In this study, 76 patients aged 18-50 yrs (mean 35) with TW were compared with matched controls. Subjects completed the Dental Impact on Daily Living (DIDL) questionnaire. Two subjects had mild TW, 42 moderate, and 32 severe.

In the TW group, 36% were dissatisfied with their teeth, 54% relatively satisfied, and 13% totally satisfied. Respective control proportions were 4%, 25% and 71%. Satisfaction was significantly higher in the control group for each of the 5 DIDL dimensions of appearance, pain, oral comfort, performance and eating restriction. Severity of TW was significantly correlated with education level and total satisfaction scores.