Dental Wear: A Scanning Electron Microscope Study

Figure 2

An example of abfraction lesion in an upper canine. The lesion is characterized by multiple cavities and partially overlapping furrows. It is possible to observe parallel striations alternating with protruding crests; a process of mechanical abrasion is superimposed on the abfraction lesion. Although forces propagating from the force application point can be expected to run along the path of least resistance, that is, along the dentinal tubules, this is not what is observed in the generation of abfraction lesions.