Prevalence and severity of tooth attrition in Nigerians in rural areas

A study of the prevalence and severity of attrition in both anterior and posterior teeth has been conducted in two rural communities in Nigeria. 5984 teeth in 190 subjects were examined. Age range of the subjects was from 15-55 years and 58.9% of them were male, while 41.1% were female. The number of subjects with little or no attrition increased with increasing age while varying degrees of severity of attrition increased with increase in age. Attrition was more marked in the mandibular teeth (56.52%) than in the Maxilla (46.71%). The first molar was the most consistently attrited and since tooth attrition can be a cause of neuralgia in the oral region, dentine exposure due to severe attrition should be considered in the differential diagnosis of pain in and around the mouth.