Association of occlusal, periodontal, and dietary factors with the presence of non-carious cervical dental lesions.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate in vivo the relationship of occlusal stress factors, periodontal health status, and acidic dietary patterns to the presence of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCL) in a convenience sample of undergraduate clinic, adult dental patients.


METHODS
Forty three subjects who met the entry criteria were admitted into the study; 178 teeth exhibiting NCCL were evaluated. A dietary assessment focusing on acidic food/beverage intake was used to evaluate nutritional intake over the most recent 24-hour period. Periodontal evaluation included intraoral measurement of gingival attachment loss, assessment of tooth mobility, and radiographic interpretation of percent bone loss using the Schei ruler method. Among the occlusal factors evaluated were shape and orientation of NCCL, presence and location of wear facets, and symptoms and characteristics of centric and eccentric occlusal function.


RESULTS
95% of teeth examined exhibited functional wear facets, indicating a systematic relationship with presence of NCCL (Chi Square = 16.9, P < 0.0001); 48% displayed buccal or incisal facets; 64% were accompanied by balancing interferences in lateral excursion; 98.3% had mobility scores < or = 1; there was no significant association between mobility and facets present (Chi Square = 3.04, P = 0.21); and, no relationship with dietary patterns was found. Group function, that may evolve with age, and/or traumatic occlusion factors may be related to etiology of NCCL. Longitudinal controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm suspected etiologies and establish treatment guidelines for non-carious cervical lesions.
Mayhew
R B
RB
Department of Health, Promotion and Dental Care Delivery, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA.
Jessee
S A
SA
Martin
R E
RE
D000328:Adult; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000209:etiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003769:Dental Occlusion, Traumatic / Q000150:complications*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013781:Texas; D014072:Tooth Abrasion / Q000209:etiology*; D019237:Tooth Cervix