The History of RDA and Modern Erosive Tooth Wear

Overview: Patients are often fixated on the idea of toothpaste abrasiveness as the key factor in tooth wear; however, this talk will demonstrate that acid-mediated tooth wear, so-called erosive tooth wear, is the dominant process for tooth loss in typical individuals.  This talk will also focus on how to reduce your risk of erosive tooth wear.

Objectives:

1. Establish the history of RDA and abrasion measurements
2. Demonstrate the clinical irrelevance of RDA values less than 250
3. Consider lifetime dentin and enamel wear amounts based on RDA and clinical studies
4. Illustrate the impact of acid on tooth wear and its amplification of tooth loss
5. Discuss strategies to reduce the risk of erosive tooth wear