Detection of dentin-exposed occlusal/incisal tooth wear using quantitative light-induced fluorescence technology

To prolong tooth life expectancy, tooth wear resulting in dentin exposure should be detected early. However, the most objective methods are clinically limited. We validated fluorescence parameters for distinguishing enamel from dentin-exposed wear in clinical images. Quantitative light-induced fluorescence (QLF) images of 73 adults (age range: 22–48 years, mean: 33.81 ± 7.71 years), including 1949 teeth with varying tooth wear degrees, without restorations, caries, or cusp area fractures, were used to calculate the ΔFwear values. Areas-of-interest (AOIs) were selected from QLF images; the ΔFwear values and the tooth wear index (TWI) were calculated for each tooth. The ΔFwear values were compared according to the TWI scores. The optimum ΔFwear values for distinguishing enamel and dentin-exposed wear were determined using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Overall, 1949 AOIs were evaluated. The median ΔFwear values for teeth with TWI scores 0, 1, and 2 (5.7 %, 10.3 %, and 17.0 %) differed significantly (P