Tooth Wear Among Psychiatric Patients: Prevalence, Distribution, and Associated Factors

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, distribution, and associated factors of tooth wear among psychiatric patients. Materials and Methods: Tooth wear was evaluated using the tooth wear index with scores ranging from 0 to 4. The presence of predisposing factors was recorded in 143 psychiatric patients attending the outpatient clinic at the Prince Rashed Hospital in northern Jordan. Results: The prevalence of a tooth wear score of 3 in at least one tooth was 90.9%. Patients in the age group 16 to 25 had the lowest prevalence (78.6%) of tooth wear. Increasing age was found to be a significant risk factor for the prevalence of tooth wear (P .005). The occlusal/incisal surfaces were the most affected by wear, with mandibular teeth being more affected than maxillary teeth, followed by the palatal surface of the maxillary anterior teeth and then the buccal/labial surface of the mandibular teeth. The factors found to be associated with tooth wear were age, retirement and unemployment, masseter muscle pain, depression, and anxiety. Conclusion: Patients' psychiatric condition and prescribed medication may be considered factors that influence tooth wear.