This systematic review was first published in 2010 and The American Dental Association Centre for Evidence-based Dentistry has now published a critical summary of this review.
The appraiser noted that that the methodological approach taken was acceptable although it was restricted to a single database and to publications in English. The review found that the prevalence of tooth wear ranged from 10 to 30% percent in primary teeth and increased with age. Permanent tooth wear into dentine for children up to 18 years old was less frequent being seen in less than 10 % .
The appraisers rated the overall quality of the review as poor and indicated that:-
When evaluating the tooth wear in children and adolescents, the information from the present systematic review on what the latitude of normal findings are, is clinically useful. Clinicians involved in providing dental care for children should be cognizant of this problem in children, and use appropriate indices to document tooth wear.
