Clinical Features of Non-Carious Cervical Lesions: An Observational Clinical Study

Non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) are among the most common dental pathologies observed in clinical practice. This study evaluated the clinical features of NCCLs in adult patients and assessed the relationship among age, lesion depth, dentin hypersensitivity (DHS), and sclerotic degree.

A total of 78 patients were recruited, resulting in 178 teeth with NCCLs. An interviewer-assisted questionnaire was administered to obtain sociodemographic information and possible risk factors for each participant. Clinical assessments of the different features of NCCLs were evaluated and recorded. Pearson's Correlation coefficient was used to investigate the relationship between age, lesion depth, sensitivity, and sclerotic degree. P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant at 95% CI.

Most of the affected teeth were first premolar 74 (41.6%), and abrasion constituted about two-third of the NCCLs (69%). Half of the total teeth with NCCLs had occlusal surface wear (51.7%). One hundred and sixteen (65.2%) teeth presented with saucer-shaped lesions, while 62 (34.8%) were wedge-shaped. There was a moderate positive correlation between the age and lesion depth (r = 0.394, p < 0.001) and a moderate positive correlation between the age and sclerotic degree (r = 0.408, p < 0.001). The correlation between the DHS and lesion depth was moderate and positive (r = 0.330, p < 0.001). There was a negative correlation between DHS and the degree of sclerosis, but this was not statistically significant (r = -0.075, p < 0.322).

The present study demonstrated that most adult teeth with NCCLs presented with abrasions, occlusal surface wear facets, saucer-shaped lesions, with lesion depths greater than 2.0 mm. There were moderate positive correlations between age, lesion depth, DHS, sclerotic dentin, and lesion depth. However, there was a negative correlation between the DHS and the degree of sclerosis.