Abstract
Erosive tooth wear and dentine hypersensitivity are increasingly common clinical challenges, often presenting together and frequently driven by overlapping dietary, behavioural, medical, and restorative risk factors. This lecture will explore a practical, prevention-led approach to identifying, diagnosing, and managing erosive tooth wear and associated sensitivity in contemporary dental practice.
The session will link clinical risk assessment with patient-centred communication, early intervention, and long-term maintenance. It will review how to distinguish erosive tooth wear from other patterns of tooth surface loss, how to identify modifiable aetiological factors, and how to integrate behavioural advice, biofilm control, fluoride-based strategies, desensitising technologies, and restorative decision-making. Particular emphasis will be placed on minimally invasive management, protection of dentine and pulpal health, and maintaining oral health-related quality of life.
By the end of the lecture, delegates should be able to move beyond symptomatic relief alone and adopt a structured approach that combines prevention, sensitivity control, restorative planning, and maintenance for patients with erosive tooth wear. This aligns with the prosthodontic emphasis on risk assessment, prevention, behavioural advice, treatment planning, and maintenance in erosive tooth wear.
Learning Objectives
- Recognise the clinical presentation and progression of erosive tooth wear and its relationship with dentine hypersensitivity.
- Differentiate erosive tooth wear from attrition, abrasion, abfraction, caries-related tissue loss, and post-restorative sensitivity.
- Identify dietary, behavioural, medical, salivary, occupational, and restorative risk factors that contribute to erosive tooth wear.
- Apply a structured chairside risk assessment to guide prevention, monitoring, sensitivity control, and restorative decision-making.
- Select appropriate preventive and non-invasive strategies, including behavioural modification, fluoride-based protection, and desensitising technologies.
- Integrate minimally invasive restorative principles when tooth wear affects function, aesthetics, pulpal health, or quality of life.
- Develop maintenance and recall strategies for patients at ongoing risk of erosive tooth wear and recurrent dentine hypersensitivity.
