Dental tooth surface loss and quality of life in university students

A selection of abstracts of clinically relevant papers from other journals. The abstracts on this page have been chosen and edited by John R. Radford.

Abstract

Although tooth surface loss was identified in three quarters of subjects, this had 'little impact on oral health-related quality of life...'

Main

Daly B, Newton JT et al. Prim Dent Care 2011; 18: 31–35

In this cross-sectional study, tooth surface loss was measured and oral health-related quality of life (OHIP-49) was assessed in 1,010 university students. The investigators reported 1) over three-quarters of the subjects had at least one tooth with tooth surface loss into dentine and 2) that almost half the subjects had severe tooth surface loss. This tooth surface loss was most commonly observed affecting the incisal edges of teeth in both upper and lower anterior sextants. There was no association between tooth surface loss and oral health-related quality of life. The authors conclude that from a 'public health perspective, this must surely raise questions concerning its suitability as a target for clinical intervention, particularly in the absence of long-term studies into the course of tooth surface loss.'