Validation of the Basic Erosive Wear Examination.

Area of Science:

• Dental Science
• Oral Health
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Tooth wear is a prevalent dental condition requiring effective screening tools.
• The Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) is a practical index for assessing tooth wear severity.
• Current validation is needed to confirm the reliability of BEWE scoring methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the BEWE sextant cumulative score with alternative scoring methods.
• To assess the validity of the BEWE sextant cumulative score in representing overall tooth wear.
• To determine if BEWE scores can serve as reliable indicators for clinical management.

Main Methods:

• 350 subjects from south-east England participated in the study.
• BEWE scores were collected for buccal, occlusal, and lingual/palatal surfaces.
• Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to analyze relationships between different BEWE scoring methods.

Main Results:

• The BEWE sextant cumulative score showed significant correlation with percentage-based tooth wear scores (r > 0.5, p < 0.001).
• Strong correlations were observed between BEWE sextant scores and highest surface scores (r > 0.8, p < 0.001).
• The BEWE sextant score accurately represents tooth wear across all surfaces.

Conclusions:

• The BEWE sextant cumulative score is a valid and reliable measure of tooth wear.
• This validated index provides clinicians with crucial risk indicators for patient tooth wear.
• The BEWE facilitates effective clinical management strategies for dental erosion.