Evaluation of the prevalence and etiology of noncarious cervical lesions in Dental Faculty patients of Isfahan Medical Sciences University in 2007

Noncarious cervical lesions appear in 3 forms: abrasion, erosion and abfraction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and etiology of noncarious cervical lesions in Dental Faculty patients of Isfahan Medical Sciences University in 2007. In this retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study a total of 120 teeth in 41 patients were evaluated. Special forms were filled out in 36 patients, which contained the clinical characteristics of the lesions and medical history of the patients. The diagnosis was based on the information in the forms and the etiology and prevalence of these noncarious cervical lesions were evaluated. Data was analyzed with descriptive tests (α = 0.05). The results showed that 75.7% of the subjects had abrasion lesions as a result of incorrect methods of brushing, use of non-standard toothbrushes or the application of non-standard toothpastes or dentifrices. A total of 50.7% of the subjects had abfraction lesions. The major etiologic factors for this lesion were missing of teeth, parafunctional habits, premature contacts and dental tilting. Finally, 28.2% of the subjects had dental erosions. The main causes of these lesions were gastrointestinal problems, consumption of saliva-reducing medications and smoking. Under the limitations of the present study it was concluded that the prevalence of noncarious cervical lesions in our subjects were, in descending order, abrasion, abfraction and erosion, respectively.