[2] It involves the vertical tooth movement that occurs when anterior localised appliances/restorations are placed in supra occlusion causing the posterior teeth to disclude.
He observed the changes in the distances of teeth in opposing arches using reference points on the capped tooth and its opponent, where he identified the introduction of an inter-occlusal space.
[3] In 1975, Bjørn L. Dahl from the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Oslo became the first author through a series of papers to report the successful use of this technique for the management of the worn dentition.
[4] The removable appliance was originally cast in cobalt chromium and placed on the palatal aspects of an 18-year-old’s upper incisors which had been subject to localised attrition.
Therefore, the main applications are for localised anterior wear caused by factors such as bulimia, GERD leading to severe dental erosion, resulting in insufficient interocclusal space for adequate restorations.
Tooth preparation and the associated loss of coronal tissue can risk further insult to the pulp and limit the options for future restoration replacement.
The creation of this interocclusal space will significantly reduce the amount of tooth preparation required, especially on the already compromised palatal surfaces of the maxillary anterior teeth.
One study published in the British Dental Journal, 2011 found that patient satisfaction was high when composite restorations were used in the Dahl approach and that the median survival time was between 4.75 and 5.8 years.