Erosive Tooth Wear and Related Risk Factors in 8- and 14-Year-Old Greek Children

Abstract

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the erosive tooth wear of primary and permanent teeth and its associa-tion with related risk factors. Two groups of Greek children aged 8 (n = 329) and 14 years (n = 263) were examined in the classroom using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index. Data concerning risk factors were collected using questionnaires. Dental caries (DMFS/dmfs) was also record-ed. The data were analyzed using the t test, one-way ANOVA, multiple regression analysis, Fisher’s exact test, and the χ 2test. In the 8-year-olds, the primary teeth showed a predom-inantly medium level of wear and the permanent teeth no wear. A majority of the 14-year-olds exhibited low risk levels of wear. The most frequently affected dental surface in both age groups was the occlusal surface of the mandibular pos-terior teeth. In the 8-year-olds, BEWE scores and the preva-lence of wear in the primary teeth was influenced by gender (p = 0.020). In their permanent teeth, soft drink consumption (p < 0.0001) and preference for lemon/vinegar (p = 0.041) significantly affected wear prevalence and BEWE scores, while habitually retaining soft drinks in the mouth influ-enced wear prevalence (p = 0.008), risk (p = 0.004), and BEWE scores (p = 0.022). In the 14-year-olds, wear prevalence was significantly affected by the consumption of lemon-flavored candies (p = 0.016) and soft drinks (p = 0.050). BEWE scores were significantly affected by gender (p = 0.022) and soft drink consumption (p = 0.030). Gender influenced tooth wear risk in both age groups (p = 0.010 and p = 0.021, respec-tively). The results of this study indicate that erosive tooth wear differed between primary and permanent teeth and was influenced by gender and dietary factors.