Effects of occlusal wear on 16-year progression of non-carious cervical lesions-Results of the study of health in Pomerania (SHIP-START)

Background: It is still discussed whether occlusal wear (OW) affects the formation of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs). Objective: To estimate effects of OW on the presence and development of NCCLs, using 16-year follow-up data from a cohort study. Methods: Occlusal and cervical defects were measured in 728 cast models (one from the upper jaw and one from the lower jaw) of 364 participants. Adjusted mixed-effects ordinal logistic models analysing estimated cross-sectional (N = 1308 teeth/291 subjects) and longitudinal (N = 718 teeth/226 subjects) associations of OW with NCCLs using tooth level data. Results: OW size was cross-sectionally (OR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.27-2.38 for OW size; OR = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.94-0.99 for squared OW size), but not longitudinally (OR = 1.14; 95% CI: 0.99-1.30) associated with odds of higher NCCL sizes. For cross-sectional analyses, predicted probabilities of an NCCL size of 0 decreased from about 0.996 to 0.010 for OW sizes of 0 to 25. Conclusion: Results suggest an association between OW and NCCL size. However, as longitudinal results were non-significant, while consistent in direction, large-scaled cohort studies are demanded to more precisely estimate effect strength.