Erosive Tooth Wear Assessment and Management
Summary
Erosive tooth wear is the irreversible loss of enamel and dentine driven by chemical dissolution from dietary or gastric acids rather than bacterial attack. Its development reflects a complex interplay of intrinsic factors such as salivary composition, flow rate and pellicle properties, and extrinsic factors including acidic beverage consumption and gastric reflux. Clinical assessment draws on visual indices, quantitative profilometry, microhardness testing and salivary diagnostics to grade lesion severity and monitor progression. Management strategies combine behavioural modification—dietary counselling to reduce acid exposure—with remineralisation therapies employing fluoride varnishes, silver-based agents and casein phosphopeptide–amorphous calcium phosphate. Early detection enables minimally invasive interventions to stabilise lesion advancement and restore form and function. Novel insights into the microbial contribution to pellicle degradation, advances in nanoscale surface analysis and improved understanding of salivary buffering underscore a shift towards personalised prevention and minimally invasive restorative care, with global significance for maintaining oral health and quality of life.
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Erosive Tooth Wear Assessment and Management publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in erosive tooth wear assessment and management across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Erosive tooth wear: irreversible loss of dental hard tissue due to chemical processes not involving bacteria.
Acquired enamel pellicle (AEP): thin protein film on enamel derived from saliva that provides a protective barrier against acid.
Microhardness testing: measurement of enamel surface hardness by indenting with a controlled load.
Buffer capacity: the ability of saliva to neutralise incoming acids through chemical buffering.
Fluorapatite: mineral form of apatite in which fluoride ions replace hydroxyl groups, increasing acid resistance of enamel.
References
- Novel bacterial proteolytic and metabolic activity associated with dental erosion-induced oral dysbiosis. Microbiome (2023).
- Nanoscale Study on Noninvasive Prevention of Dental Erosion of Enamel by Silver Diamine Fluoride.. Biomaterials Research (2024).
- Association between salivary characteristics and tooth wear: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Dentistry (2023).
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