Abstract

Background: Undetected tooth wear and poor control of risk factors can lead to various adverse outcomes. The study aims to assess the status of tooth wear and identify some related factors in people aged 18–60 in Lam Ha district, Lam Dong province in 2023.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 550 individuals aged 18 to 60, selected through probability proportional to size random sampling. All participants were interviewed regarding potential risk factors and underwent clinical examination to assess tooth wear status.

Results: The prevalence of tooth wear in the study sample was 72.0%. According to the Tooth Wear Index (TWI), grade 0 wear accounted for 77.6%, grade I for 13.7%, grade II for 4.5%, grade III for 2.4%, and grade IV for 1.8%. The mean number of pathological tooth wear surfaces was 9.52 ± 6.54. Wear was most common on occlusal/incisal surfaces (6.20 ± 4.20), followed by cervical (2.25 ± 2.47), lingual (0.62 ± 0.85), and buccal surfaces (0.45 ± 0.74). Tooth wear increased with age, reaching 93.6% in the 50–60 age group. Multivariate analysis identified age ≥ 40, rural residence, brushing ≥ 2 times/day, acidic food consumption, and hard food habits as associated factors.

Conclusions: The prevalence of tooth wear among individuals aged 18 to 60 remains high. Identifying the condition of tooth wear and its associated risk factors may facilitate better assessment, preventive planning, and implementation of more effective treatment strategies.