Radiological evaluation of the prevalence of bone loss, tooth wear, periodontal ligament widening, and the prevalence of mandibular torus

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to quantify the relationship between excessive occlusal forces reflected by tooth wear, Periodontal ligament space widening (PDLw), TM presence, and radiographic loss of bone support. A secondary aim was to evaluate the correlation of screening specific teeth instead of the entire dentition. Materials and Methods: 1950 Sets of full mouth radiographic surveys were retrospectively analyzed. Radiologic quantification of loss of bone support was performed using the "Schei's ruler" technique. Tooth wear evaluation was classified according to enamel wear in the incisal area, PDL widening was considered when over 0.2mm was measured, and the presence of mandibular torus was inspected. Results: After collecting data from the first 400 radiographs, the correlation between specific teeth and the whole dentition was evaluated. Teeth 41 and 33 showed the best correlation scores to all examined teeth. Tooth wear and loss of bone support were significantly age-related (p<0.001). There was a statistically significant correlation between tooth wear and bone support loss (p<0.001). The odds ratio of having bone loss when tooth wear was present was 2.767. The odds ratio of having bone loss when PDLw was present was 2.585. Conclusion: The present study found a statistically significant correlation between radiographic tooth wear, PDLw, and loss of bone support. Clinical Relevance: The high correlation between tooth wear and radiographic bone loss helps the clinician better understand the etiology of periodontal disease. Prevention and treatment of the disease are multifactorial.