abfractions

Noun

abfraction (countable and uncountable, plural abfractions)

1. A proposed mechanism for noncarious tooth tissue loss, owing not to decay but rather to biomechanical stresses of biting and chewing; the pathogenesis of such damage remains a subject of continuing study.
   • Due to the stresses resulting from biomechanical loading forces exerted on the teeth (static, as in swallowing and clenching[,] or cyclic, as in chewing), both enamel and dentin can chip or break away. This loss of tooth substance, which shall be termed Abfraction, is dependent on the magnitude...1991, Grippo JO, “Abfractions: a new classification of hard tissue lesions of teeth”, in Journal of Esthetic Dentistry, volume 3, number 1, →DOI, →PMID, pages 14–19
2. An instance of tooth tissue loss via this mechanism.