12 INTERNATIONAL DENTISTRY SA VOL. 8, NO. 4 A dvances in the field of adhesive restorative biomaterials have resulted in adhesive restorations that provide increased retention, marginal adaptation and seal, and reduced microleakage. This evolution in adhesive dental technology has dramatically changed the way dentistry is practised in the modern dental office. Modern adhesive restorative materi...

The African apes possess thinner enamel than do other hominoids, and a certain amount of dentin exposure may be advantageous in the processing of tough diets eaten by Gorilla. Dental wear (attrition plus abrasion) that erodes the enamel exposes the underlying dentin and creates additional cutting edges at the dentin-enamel junction. Hypothetically, efficiency of food processing increases with j...

In this study a 3D microtomography display of tooth surfaces after in vitro dental wear tests has been obtained. Natural teeth have been compared with prosthetic teeth, manufactured by three different polyceramic composite materials. The prosthetic dental element samples, similar to molars, have been placed in opposition to human teeth extracted by paradontology diseases. After microtomograp...

Dental wear facets often are considered indicators of temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD). Dental wear facets are common in children, but their association with TMD signs is unknown. A reproducible, clinical evaluation of TMD signs for young children shows no statistically significant association between primary dentition wear facets and clinical signs of TMD (P less than or equal to 0.05). Wea...

The incidence of caries has declined; however, other dental lesions such as tooth wear are becoming increasingly important. Dental wear is a multifactorial process that may encompass erosion, abrasion, and combinations thereof. Therefore, various methodologies have been applied to evaluate the loss of dental hard tissue and the surface-softened zone in enamel induced by abrasive and erosive cha...

Bruxism is defined as the repetitive jaw muscle activity characterized by the clenching or grinding of teeth. It can be categorized into awake and sleep bruxism (SB). Frequent SB occurs in about 13% of adults. The exact etiology of SB is still unknown and probably multifactorial in nature. Current literature suggests that SB is regulated centrally (pathophysiological and psychosocial factors) a...

OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study was to evaluate the wear characteristics of fiber-reinforced dental composites. Variables under investigation include the fiber weight percent added to the matrix as well as fiber length. METHODS Dental specimens with glass fiber content of 2, 5.1, 5.7, and 7.6 wt% with fiber length of either 1.5 or 3 mm, were prepared by mixing an activated dental r...

Agave quid chewing is examined as a potential contributing behavior to hunter-gatherer dental wear. It has previously been hypothesized that the contribution of Agave quid chewing to dental wear would be observed in communities wherever phytolith-rich desert succulents were part of subsistence. Previous analysis of coprolites from a prehistoric agricultural site, La Cueva de los Muertos Chiquit...

Determining the proximate causes of tooth wear remains a major focus of dental study. Here we compare the diets of three ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) populations and examine how different dietary components may contribute to patterns of wear-related tooth shape. Casts were made from dental impressions collected between 2003 and 2010 from lemurs in the gallery and spiny/mixed forests of the B...

Historically, the dental literature has revealed various causes of tooth wear, yet it has failed to provide a conclusive method of differentiation and diagnosis of the condition. The categories of tooth wear encountered most commonly in dental practice are abrasion and erosion. The major causes of wear from abrasion are bruxism and toothpaste abuse, and the major causes of wear from erosion are...