Occlusal Reconstruction in the Management of Tooth Wear: A Review

Abstract

Objective: Tooth wear (TW) is a prevalent condition commonly treated at dental clinics. Loss of occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) may develop from severe TW. The treatment of severe TW includes occlusal reconstruction, which involves increasing the patient’s OVD. Following occlusal reconstruction, the patient’s stomatognathic system, including nervous tissues, muscles, and joints will undergo corresponding changes. Understanding the changes in various parts of the stomatognathic system following occlusal reconstruction can help standardize the management approach for severe TW. This review provides current scientific evidence on increasing OVD through occlusal reconstruction in TW management and an update on the effects of occlusal reconstruction on the stomatognathic system. Methodology: We conducted a review of the available articles, searched using PubMed and Scopus. The articles searched were from 2014 until 2023. Result: A total of 159 articles were obtained. After reviewing titles and abstracts, 55 articles were included for full-text reading, and 42 were excluded based on predefined criteria, resulting in a total of 13 articles for this study. Conclusion: Occlusal reconstruction can be performed using different methods, with no conclusive evidence favoring one treatment approach over another. Determining the appropriate increase in OVD during occlusal reconstruction varies based on each patient’s restorative requirements. Following occlusal reconstruction, patients experience discomfort in the stomatognathic system, but these symptoms, including TMJ pain and masticatory muscle dysfunction, resolve within three months. Occlusal reconstruction has been shown to be effective in alleviating symptoms associated with severe TW which helps to maintain a high quality of life for TW patients, especially the elderly.