A national survey of tooth wear on facial and oral surfaces and risk factors in young Nigerian adults

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of tooth wear and to identify risk factors in a sample of young Nigerian adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were individuals aged 18–35 years, attending dental clinics located in eight centers representing the six geopolitical zones of the country. Calibrated examiners measured tooth wear using basic erosive wear examination (BEWE) index. Individuals were characterized by the highest BEWE score recorded for any facial/oral tooth surface. Previously validated questionnaire was used to gather information on demographics and risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 1349 participants were examined. The prevalence of tooth wear was 60.2%. Bivariate analysis showed significant differences in the prevalence of tooth wear with age, educational level, and occupation (P ≤ 0.05). There were significant differences in tooth wear among the participants from the different states. Tooth wear was found to increase with smoking. Tooth wear was associated with brushing frequency, use of chewing stick, and other local cleaning agents. Multiple regression analysis showed that age, brushing frequency, brushing after breakfast added statistically significantly to the prediction of tooth wear (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Tooth wear was common in the population. The frequency of tooth brushing, use of chewing sticks and other local tooth cleaning agents may be contributory.