Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Precision of In Vivo Quantitative Tooth Wear Measurement Using Intra-Oral Scans
Published on: July 12, 2022
Dental tooth surface loss and quality of life in university students
Blanaid Daly1, J Timothy Newton, Joumana Fares
1King's College London Dental Institute, London, UK.
Aim:
To determine the relationship between toothwear into dentine and oral health-related quality of life impacts in a sample of university students not attending for dental treatment.
Methods:
A cross-sectional survey of 1010 university students was undertaken. Clinical examination, including the Smith & Knight (1984) index of tooth erosion, was performed and completion of the Oral Health Impact Profile-49 (OHIP-49) measure of oral health-related quality of life was arranged.
Results:
Seventy-seven per cent of the students had at least one tooth with tooth surface loss into dentine. Overall OHIP scores were similar for individuals with different levels of severity of tooth surface loss. Individuals with severe tooth surface loss were more likely to report that their appearance had been affected by, and that they had felt self-conscious because of, the condition of their mouth and teeth.
Conclusions:
Tooth surface loss into dentine was prevalent among the young adults who were examined in this study. They reported that it had little impact on oral health-related quality of life at the non-clinical levels seen in this study.
Related Concept Videos
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.
Assessment of the Mouth
Mouth Inspection
The inspection begins with visually examining the mouth for symmetry, color, and size.
Oral Cavity
Teeth: The teeth are the hardest structures in our bodies. Humans have two sets of teeth throughout their lifetime: deciduous (baby) teeth and permanent teeth. Each tooth consists of several parts: the crown (visible part), the root (embedded in the jaw), enamel (hard outer...