Erosive tooth wear – a review on global prevalence and on its prevalence in risk groups

Abstract

Erosion is a common phenomenon in the general population of developed countries. However, due to variations in indices, sample sizes and general study designs, it is difficult to compare the various studies and to estimate actual global prevalence. Therefore, the aim of this present paper is to give a narrative overview on the data available on the global prevalence of erosion. Information on prevalence is not available from each country; in particular, data from Asia, Africa, South America, North America and large parts of South-Eastern Europe are unavailable. There is a large variation in global prevalence ranging between 0 and 100%. Calculating a rough mean from the data available, a mean prevalence in deciduous teeth between 30% and 50% and in permanent teeth between 20% and 45% can be estimated. There seems to be a gender difference and an increase in prevalence with age. Prevalence studies on erosion risk groups show comparable variation. Only in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and eating disorders associated with vomiting can a clear impact on erosion prevalence be found. In people who consume acidic foods and drinks, a higher risk can be found for some specific comestibles. However, there is a lack of controlled epidemiological studies, making it difficult to generalise. There is a clear need for well-designed studies on this issue.

The sensitivity of digital intraoral scanners at measuring early erosive wear

“…Similarly, study casts and clinical photographs lack sensitivity [8] whilst study casts also suffer from errors introduced by dimensional changes in impression materials [9] and dental stones [10]. With the increasing prevalence of erosive tooth wear [11,12] and lack of a quantitative method for monitoring tooth wear new approaches are required.…”

Prevalence of erosive tooth wear in Chilean adults, 2016: A cross‐sectional study

“…However, the prevalence when considering the entire dentition has a high variability. Some sources of these variations could be the result of study differences with respect to study country, study design, sample size, sample representativeness and index used . There are several indices reported in the literature to assess erosive tooth wear .…”

Obesity and tooth wear among American adults: the role of sugar-sweetened acidic drinks

“…Tooth wear is the loss of dental hard tissues resulting of the interaction between teeth and other materials (abrasion), tooth-to-tooth contact (attrition), or dissolution of hard tissues by acidic substances not caused by bacteria (erosion) [1,2]. As the prevalence of tooth wear is raising [3,4], a focus on prevention may prolong the health of the dentition. At the same time, obesity is increasing at an alarming rate globally to the point it is now considered a global pandemic [5,6].…”

“…12] and tooth wear [13,14]. Globally, a rise in soft drinks consumption [15,16] parallels those in obesity [5,6] and tooth wear [3,4]. However, while it is the sugar content of soft drinks (often referred to as sugar-sweetened beverages) what leads to obesity [15], it is the acidic nature of some drinks (such as carbonated drinks and acidic fruit juices) that leads to tooth wear [14].…”