Tooth wear is an increasing problem. The incidence is rising rapidly, especially among young patients, and in some cases reaches 25% in Dutch studies. This means that a quarter of the young people affected have damage to the dental hard tissues that requires treatment. It is therefore important for dental practices to recognize these patients at an early stage and to identify the individual causes in those affected. To this end, a Dutch-German working group has developed a multi-stage diagnostic procedure, the Tooth Wear Ealuation System, TWES. This was initially published at the University of Amsterdam ACTA and further developed in cooperation with colleagues from the CMD Center Hamburg-Eppendorf.
In clinical practice, the approach is based on a two-stage diagnostic concept.
- The first step is a tooth wear screening to identify conspicuous patients.
- In the second stage, these are examined in more detail (per tooth) with a correspondingly more intensive tooth wear status, supplemented by an assessment of the pathology and the recording of findings that allow conclusions to be drawn about the aetiology. Individual treatment planning is then carried out on this basis.
Both examination steps are now recognized by the German Dental Association as independent services. To implement the procedure in the dental practice, corresponding software is now available to expand the practice software, CMDbrux, the use and application of which is also taught in the course, so that the implementation of the knowledge in the practice is immediately guaranteed.