The association between dental wear and reduced vertical dimension of the face: A morphologic study on human skulls

• A positive correlation was observed between age and significant dental wear.
• No statistically significant differences were noted between the men and women.
• No significant differences were found in either lower or upper facial height between the two wear groups.
• No significant differences were found in the ratio lower/upper facial height between the groups regarding dental wear.
• This study suggests that dental wear does not influence the vertical dimension of occlusion.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the relationship between dental wear and facial morphology, with particular reference to the occlusal vertical dimension, in modern human skulls.DesignOne hundred and three skulls (52 men and 51 women) between the ages of 20 and 50+ years old were studied. The selected skulls were from a modern period (the 17th and the 18th centuries) and included at least one entire condyle and had at least 3 posterior teeth (premolar or molar) in each quadrant to allow for dental articulation. Occlusal wear was evaluated using ordinal scale (0–4) and vertical occlusal dimension was evaluated by measuring upper facial height (UFH), lower facial height (LFH), LFH-to-UFH ratio (L-U-R) and dental wear. Based on the occlusal wear score, two groups were defined: with and without significant wear.ResultsSignificant relation was observed between age and dental wear (P < 0.01). No significant differences were found in the LFH (P = 0.847) or UFH (P = 0.108) between the two wear groups. In addition, no significant difference (P = 0.132) was demonstrated in the LFH-to-UFH ratio between the groups. No difference was observed in the dental wear score between genders (P = 0.321).ConclusionWithin its limitations, this study demonstrated that dental wear does not influence the vertical dimension of occlusion. Our assumption is that the dento-facial complex fully compensates for the dental effects of wear throughout life.