Tooth wear is a normal physiological process that occurs throughout life. Problems arise, however, if the rate of wear or the degree of destruction become excessive, causing functional, aesthetic or sensitivity problems. In these circumstances, tooth wear is characterized as pathological. Its nature is multifactorial namely attributed to three aetiological factor; dental erosion, dental attrition and dental abrasion.
Dental attrition caused by parafunctional habits such as bruxism has been studied extensively in the literature during the previous decades.
Recently, research has shifted its attention towards looking into the incidence and management of tooth wear caused by dental erosion and dental abrasion, as a result of changes in modern lifestyle and also as a result of better understanding the mechanisms of tooth substance wear. The future comprehensive management of non-carious tooth surface loss, therefore, relies on a complete understanding of its aetiology and clinical presentation.
This literature review paper will present in detail the multifactorial aetiology of this phenomenon and, through illustrated cases, will depict the various clinical presentations that the tooth surface loss can have.
Finally, a brief overview of current epidemiologic data concerning each aetiology will be given together with a short discussion of the laboratory and clinical indexes available today for measurement of the rate of tooth substance loss.
