A new, three-dimensional method for determining tooth wear.

A new technique combining moiré contourography and digital image analysis allows the three-dimensional description of molar wear. It is possible to describe the amount of tooth material lost in a given time, e.g. mm3/year, and the differing amounts of wear on individual cusps. The moiré technique can be used in conjunction with more conventional quantitative techniques or by itself to assist in age determination in a population. It can be used to describe small amounts of wear that hitherto were difficult to quantify. It is not recommended where the wear includes the greatest convexity of the crown (height of contour) or affects the central fossa.