An investigation into the relationship between noncarious cervical lesions and premature contacts.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between noncarious cervical lesions (NCCL) and dental premature contacts (PC). Following examination of 1,974 teeth from 77 patients referred to the Department of Oral Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Mashad University of Medical Science, Iran, a total of 167 teeth were identified to have the criteria set for noncarious cervical lesions (regarded as NCCL group). Also, 167 teeth exhibiting no such lesions were selected randomly from the same population (regarded as control group). The results indicated that within the NCCL group, the frequency of noncarious cervical lesions differed significantly among the various teeth; the first premolar teeth showed the greatest number of cervical lesions, followed by the canine teeth, and the second molar teeth had the least number of lesions. A similar trend was detected in the total number of premature contacts among the seven types of teeth. The results revealed a highly significant and positive correlation between the incidence of NCCL and the PC. The NCCL group and the control group differed significantly in the number of premature contacts in centric relation (CR) and working side, but not in balancing and protrusion.