Tooth Attrition

Synonyms

Attrition, Dental

Attrition, Tooth

Dental Attrition

Dental Attritions

Occlusal Wear

Occlusal Wears

Wear, Occlusal

Wears, Occlusal

The wearing away of a tooth as a result of tooth-to-tooth contact, as in mastication, occurring only on the occlusal, incisal, and proximal surfaces. It is chiefly associated with aging. It is differentiated from TOOTH ABRASION (the pathologic wearing away of the tooth substance by friction, as brushing, bruxism, clenching, and other mechanical causes) and from TOOTH EROSION (the loss of substance caused by chemical action without bacterial action). (Jablonski, Dictionary of Dentistry, 1992, p86)