Relationship between malocclusion, orthodontic treatment, and tooth wear.

Introduction: Although the association between orthodontic treatment and dental health has been studied previously, no studies have hitherto investigated whether the need for, or the receipt of, orthodontic treatment leads to differences in tooth wear in the long term.

Methods: In this retrospective, cross-sectional, association study, an index specifically designed for dental study casts was used to examine tooth wear in 307 adults aged 30 to 31 years.

Results: The men showed significantly higher levels of tooth wear than did the women.