title: Summary of: evaluation of the basic erosive wear examination (BEWE) for use in general dental practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The basic erosive wear examination (BEWE) is a relatively new index proposed for the screening and recording of tooth wear in adults. The aim of this study was to test the validity and reliability of the BEWE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional study of a sample of 164 adult patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  General dental practice in East Lancashire, UK in 2010.Subjects Patients attending for routine examination or treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  By screening patients with the BEWE and comparing the results to the established tooth wear index (TWI) the sensitivity and specificity of the BEWE was established.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BEWE predicted moderate to severe wear (BEWE grade 3) with a sensitivity of 48.6% and a specificity of 96.1%, and predicted severe wear with a sensitivity of 90.9% and a specificity of 91.5% (also BEWE score 3). Inter- and intra-examiner reliability for the BEWE were both moderate (κ(w) = 0.43 and 0.57 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BEWE scores show a similar distribution to TWI scores and the examination is an effective screening test for severe tooth wear. The moderate levels of examiner reliability suggests the BEWE scores should be interpreted with some caution.
authors.affiliation: King's College London Dental Institute.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bartlett