(1) Background: From a young age, boys are more often affected by tooth wear than girls.
This suggests an influence of the male sex hormone (testosterone) on the aetiology of tooth wear.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of tooth wear in relation to steroid
hormone levels in children. (2) Methods: 1022 test persons aged between 10 and 18 (491 male,
531 female) from the LIFE Child study underwent medical and dental examination. Tooth wear
was measured through clinical inspection. Blood samples were taken to determine hormone levels
(testosterone, SHBG). The level of free testosterone was calculated from the ratio of testosterone
to SHBG. Using multivariable methods, the incidence of tooth wear was analyzed as a function of
hormone levels, while controlling for confounders such as age, sex, social status, and orthodontic
treatment. (3) Results: The incidence of tooth wear increased with age in both sexes. Boys showed
significantly more often attrition facets than girls (17.5% vs. 13.2%, p < 0.001). Subjects with tooth
wear showed significantly higher free testosterone levels than those without (males: p < 0.001,
females: p < 0.05). After controlling for confounding variables, the risk of tooth wear increased by
approximately 30.0% with each year of life (odds ratio [OR]boys = 1.29, 95% confidence interval
[CI] = 1.04–1.56; [OR]girls = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.08–1.61). In addition, the risk of tooth wear increased by
6.0% per free testosterone scale score only in boys (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01–1.12). (4) Conclusions:
Tooth wear is common in children and in adolescents, and it increases steadily with age in both sexes.
The stronger increase and the higher prevalence among male adolescents can be explained by the
additional effect of free testosterone.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:87530 |
| Date | 20 October 2023 |
| Creators | Buchhardt, Jeanette, Kiess, Wieland, Körner, Antje, Biemann, Ronald, Hirsch, Christian |
| Publisher | MDPI |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:article, info:eu-repo/semantics/article, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | 3603 |
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