An observational study in Dentin Hypersensitivity and Erosive Tooth Wear, sponsored by Indiana University. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-05.
Sponsored by Indiana University · Observational
The goal of this observational study is to learn about tooth wear and tooth sensistivity and reasons for these conditions in five locations throughout the United States. The main question it aims to answer is:
The main objective of this study is to determine tooth wear and tooth sensitivity in adults in the U.S., and to investigate their association with risk factors
The primary goal of this observational, cross-sectional, multi-site epidemiological study is to determine the prevalence of erosive tooth wear (ETW) and dentin hypersensitivity (DH) in healthy adults of different age brackets in the U.S., and to investigate their association with risk factors. A secondary goal is to assess gingival recession (GR) and presence of non-carious cervical lesion (NCCL). A tertiary goal is to compare the U.S. data with those from previous studies conducted in Europe and China.
Study participants will be healthy dentate adults aged 18 or older, recruited from clinics in dental schools (study sites), located in the U.S. Up to 5 study sites geographically distributed in the five U.S. regions (Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, West) will participate in the study, with the goal of enrolling approximately 500 participants per site (total n = 2500), distributed nearly equally across age brackets (18-27, 28-37, 38-47, 48-57, 58+), and between males and females. In each site, a study team will be assigned with at least an investigator dental practitioner (dentist or dental hygienist) and a study coordinator will be assigned for the recruitment, consenting, examination, and intraoral scanning of participants. The main site under the direction of the PI will also include a project manager and an examiner for the digital images. Each site will file the study protocol, consent and associated documents through their own IRB using the respective documents approved by the Indiana University IRB. Each site may make modifications to the documents as required per each site's IRB.
Consented participants that agree to take part on the study and that meet the study inclusion and exclusion criteria will have clinical and self-reported data collected in a single study visit. Data sources will include questionnaire on demographics and associated factors, standardized intra-oral scanning of the full mouth and video recording of participants reactions while submitted to a DH test. The 3D digital images obtained from the intra-oral scans will be used for the digital assessment of ETW using the BEWE index. Video recordings will be used for the scoring of DH using the Schiff index and self-reported assessments. All digital scans and video recordings collected from the study sites will be managed by the lead site (Oral Health Research Institute - OHRI) and BEWE, GR and NCCL assessments will be performed digitally by previously trained examiner(s).
Preliminary, descriptive level analyses will be performed for the questionnaire variables. For each scoring variable, frequency distributions will be produced and summarized showing the variation between different areas of the mouth. The main analyses will be at the patient level, and the relationship between patient-level measures of each explanatory variable will be examined by crosstabulations and regression analyses.
288 studies on the registry are indexed under Dentin Sensitivity; 46 are open to participants now.
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The study population will be idenified from five regions in the United states who meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria listed in this application
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The five areas are Indiana, Florida, California, Texas and North Carolina
Other: epidemiological
collection of data from all participating subjects involving tooth erosion examinations, tooth sensitivity and questionnaire data collection
Prevalence and severity of erosive tooth wear (ETW), assessed using the basic erosive wear examination (BEWE) index.
ETW will be assessed on captured intraoral scans, for each tooth/subject using BEWE index. It will be performed by a previously trained and calibrated examiner. The BEWE scale presents 4 levels, from 0: no ETW to 3: most severe ETW.
Time frame: Five minute examination period
Prevalence and severity of dentin hypersensitivity (DH) using the Schiff Sensitivity Index.
DH will be assessed on recorded video files by a previously trained examiner, who will watch the videos and provide a Schiff score for each tooth/subject. The Schiff scale has 5 severity levels, ranging from 0: no DH to 4: severe DH.
Time frame: Five minute examination period
Risk factors potentially associated to erosive tooth wear (ETW) and dentin hypersensitivity (DH), collected by questionnaires.
Demographics and potential risk factors associated with ETW and DH will be collected from each subject by questionnaires. They will include: 1. Demographic data; age, gender, socioeconomic status, education level achieved, location, race/ethnicity. 2. Data on the participant's oral hygiene practices. 3. Data about the participant's dentin hypersensitivity quality of life experience. 4. Data on the participant's perception of their general oral health, toothwear and gum health. 5. Data on the participant's perception of DH: intensity, duration, origin. 6. Data on the evaluation of risk factors associated with ETW and DH.
Time frame: Ten minutes assessment period.
Gum tissue recession presence, assessed on captured intraoral scans by a trained examiner.
A secondary outcome is presence (yes or no) of gum tissue recession (wearing away of the gum at the gumline), assessed by a trained examiner.
Time frame: Five minute examination period
Compare study data to previously collected data
ETW and DH prevalence and risk factors observed in this study (U.S. data) will be compared to those collected in previous studies similarly designed and conducted in Europe and China.
Time frame: 0
Plan to share: No
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