The Principles and Clinical Management of Generalised Tooth Wear

This chapter discusses the principles for the management of generalised tooth wear (TW). For patients who may be affected by the process of generalised TW, there may also be a concomitant alteration in their occlusal vertical dimension (OVD). The extent to which the latter may take place will depend largely on the level of impending dento-alveolar compensation. Consequently, it has become commonplace to consider the alteration in the OVD when planning restorative rehabilitation. In relation to generalised TW it is clinically difficult to divide patients into groups as patient types as has been described by Turner and Missirilian: excessive wear with loss of vertical dimension of occlusion; excessive wear without loss of vertical dimension, but with space available; and excessive wear without loss of vertical dimension, but with limited space. The above classification has indeed been used to help plan prosthodontic rehabilitation.