title: Occlusal tooth wear in the general population of Germany: effects of age, sex, and location of teeth.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tooth wear is an increasing problem in a society where people are living longer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of age, sex, and location of teeth on the severity of tooth wear and to determine the prevalence of dentin exposure in the general population of Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tooth wear was measured in casts of both jaws of 836 persons with a 6-point (0-5) ordinal rating scale. Linear random-intercept regression models with the covariates of age, sex, jaw, and tooth group (with the participant as a grouping variable) were computed to determine the association of these covariates with tooth wear of a single tooth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean tooth wear score across all age groups, both sexes, and all teeth was 2.9 (standard deviation, 0.8), and the prevalence of teeth with exposed dentin was 23.4%. The participants' age was correlated with the mean tooth wear scores (r=0.51). The tooth wear level among women was on average 0.15 units lower than among men, and tooth wear was on average 0.59 units higher for anterior teeth than for posterior teeth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased tooth wear in anterior teeth may be due to the initially predominant guidance by anterior teeth, with age-related linear progress in tooth wear. Occlusal tooth wear scores and dentin exposure increase with age.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthodontics and Materials Science, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: oliver.schierz@medizin.uni-leipzig.de.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schierz
authors.affiliation: Research Associate, Department of Prosthodontics and Materials Science, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dommel
authors.affiliation: Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; Research Fellow, Department of Diagnostic and Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Reissmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001641:Bicuspid / Q000473:pathology; D003481:Cuspid / Q000473:pathology; D003804:Dentin / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000473:pathology; D008437:Maxilla / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D019228:Tooth Crown / Q000473:pathology; D057085:Tooth Wear / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult