Prevalence of occlusal tooth wear and its relationship to lateral and protrusive contact schemes in a young adult Indian population.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and severity of occlusal tooth wear and their interrelationships with lateral and protrusive occlusal contact schemes in a young adult Indian population. The material comprised 64 individuals (age: mean = 19 years; range, 17-24 years). Assessment of wear was performed by means of a tooth-by-tooth evaluation of casts. Lateral excursive and protrusive contact relationships were recorded at the clinical examination. There was no difference in the degree of wear between women and men. Mean occlusal wear was low for the population studied compared with similarly aged Scandinavians and Saudis. No differences in the severity of wear were found in relation to lateral excursive and protrusive contact schemes. Whereas the low wear experience in the present Indian sample may be related to dietary factors, more must be understood about the various other causes of occlusal tooth wear before its functional interdependence becomes clear.