Is toothwear associated with oral health related quality of life in adults in the UK?

Objectives: Toothwear may impact on an individual’s everyday life, yet there is little research investigating the association between toothwear and oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL). The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between toothwear and OHRQoL in adults in the United Kingdom. Basic research design: This study involved secondary analysis of data from 5187 participants with toothwear in the Adult Dental Health Survey conducted in 2009. Toothwear was assessed using Smith and Knight criteria and the Basic Erosive Wear Index and classified as mild, moderate and severe. Main outcome measures: Correlation analyses were carried out between OHIP-14 total scores and toothwear type. Regression analyses investigated the association between toothwear and OHRQoL adjusting for demographic variables. Results: There was a significant association between toothwear and OHRQoL, with more severe toothwear associated with greater oral health impact on daily life. The association between erosive toothwear and OHRQoL was significant for moderate and severe severities only. The adjusted linear regression model identified that toothwear accounted for 0.02% of the variance in total OHIP-14 scores. Females, younger individuals and less deprived individuals showed a greater association between toothwear and OHRQoL. Conclusions: In this general population sample, there was a small significant association between toothwear and OHRQoL impacts. However, the association was only significant for more severe categories of toothwear.