Tooth wear patterns in the deciduous dentition.

Tooth wear is common in the deciduous dentition. A recent study suggests that tooth wear in the deciduous dentition is related to subsequent tooth wear in adults, so that early identification of factors related to tooth wear could be of long-term benefit. The purposes of this study were to describe patterns of tooth wear in the deciduous dentition and to relate tooth wear to occlusal characteristics and longitudinal dietary patterns. Data were collected as part of a longitudinal study of a cohort of children recruited at birth from Iowa hospitals. Stone casts were obtained in the deciduous dentition stage, and 355 children, 4 to 5 years old, met the selection criteria. Tooth wear was categorized for each tooth as none, mild, moderate, or severe, and related to occlusal characteristics and longitudinal data on fruit juice and soft drink consumption. All children exhibited some tooth wear on at least 1 tooth, and nearly 16% of them had at least 1 tooth with severe wear. Tooth wear was generally more severe in the maxillary arch and the anterior teeth. Severe tooth wear on the molars was significantly related to posterior crossbites, but severe tooth wear on the incisors was related to Class III canine relationships. There were no statistically significant relationships between tooth wear and soft drink or fruit juice consumption. Based on our results, we concluded that mild tooth wear is universal in the deciduous dentition, but only a few occlusal factors are related to severe tooth wear. Tooth wear was not related to any dietary patterns we investigated.