Measured diagram
Why does a worn cusp have a hollow in the middle?
A close-up of the buccal cusp of the molar in the stages figure, with a 1 mm scale. Hollows like this can come from grinding, from acid, or from both, and the tubules under the worn surface become sealed.
What the drawing is measured from
- Hollows are not proof of acid: in one comparison, deep cupping of more than 0.5 mm was found in 78% of medieval skulls with an abrasive diet and 45% of people on an acidic diet, so cupping is the least certain sign of erosion in adults. DOI 1
- Lower first molars of young adults, scanned over three years: the load-bearing cusps wore most, in the order mesiobuccal, distobuccal, distal; lingual cusps were mostly faceted; and cupped lesions seemed to develop from facets. DOI 2
- The shape of hollowed dentine, in buccolingual sections: depth was about a third of breadth in erosion (0.33) and about a sixth in abrasion (0.15 to 0.19). The groups also differed in ancestry. DOI 3
- Extracted molars with worn dentine: transparent and reactionary dentine were found only under attrition, with tubules partly or fully occluded and permeability reduced. The thickness of the band drawn here is representative. DOI 4
- The teeth are the measured upper central incisor and lower first molar used in every figure on this site. How deep each worn surface, hollow and notch is drawn is representative, not a measurement of one patient.
Use this diagram
Free to use, including commercially, with credit.
This diagram is published under CC BY 4.0. You may reproduce it in articles, teaching material, presentations and patient information, print or online, without asking. The one condition is that you credit Dr. Khalid Aletaibi and link back to this page.
It is published this way on purpose. The measurement in this drawing is not something the people selling the treatment tend to publish, so it is more useful spread than kept.
Credit line
Worn dentine inside a rim of enamel. Dr. Khalid Aletaibi, CC BY 4.0. https://khalidaletaibi.com/en/diagrams/tooth-wear-rim
HTML embed
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<img src="https://khalidaletaibi.com/figures/tooth-wear-rim-en.svg" alt="Worn dentine inside a rim of enamel" width="100%">
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Worn dentine inside a rim of enamel. <a href="https://khalidaletaibi.com/en/diagrams/tooth-wear-rim">Dr. Khalid Aletaibi</a>,
<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY 4.0</a>
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</figure>