Impact of Dietary Advice on the Progression of Tooth Wear

The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of dietary advice on the progression of tooth wear over 6 months using a randomised clinical trial design. Participants with severe tooth wear will be recruited. Half of those patients will receive a detailed dietary advice and the other half will be receive standard of care dietary advice. Moulds will be made of their mouths at the original appointment and 6 months later. These moulds will be scanned and superimposed to see if there is any difference in their level of tooth wear

A sample size of 60 patients will be recruited separately from an epidemiology study and written informed consent will be obtained. Patients presenting with moderate to severe tooth wear will be recruited. Those with a Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) cumulative score greater than or equal to 8 but with at least one score of 3 on the occlusal surfaces of the lower molars or the incisal edge of the upper central incisor. After randomisation, an impression will be taken of the upper and lower teeth using a silicone material. One group will receive one-to-one dietary advice (with dietary information sheets) as the intervention and the other group will not receive any intervention. The silicone impressions will be repeated 6 months later. Impressions will be cast in stone and the occlusal surfaces of the upper or lower molars and the buccal surface of the upper central and lateral incisors will be scanned to monitor tooth wear progression. The two scans of the involved teeth will be superimposed and the level of tooth wear over that time will be calculated. The investigators aim to see if giving detailed dietary advice will result in less erosive tooth wear.