A Controlled Study of Dental Erosion and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Objectives: To compare the occurrence of dental erosion (DE) in children with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and healthy children.
Methods: This cross-sectional controlled study encompassed 43 patients (2-14 years-old) diagnosed positive for GERD by the 24-hour pH monitoring (case group) paired by age group with 136 healthy children (control group), in the city of Belo Horizonte, southeast Brazil. DE was assessed by one calibrated examiner using the O'Sullivan index. A questionnaire completed by parents collected information regarding sociodemographics, oral hygiene and dietary habits, as potential confounding variables. Data analysis was performed by logistic regression according to Wald’s test (p< 0.05). The study received approval from the Research Ethics Committee of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Results: Dental erosion was observed in 25.6% (n=11) of the patients in the case group and in 5.9% (n=8) of the control group. In the multiple logistic regression model adjusted for the confounding variables, the children with GERD had a higher occurrence of DE (OR=5.56, 95% CI=1.77-17.51, p<0.05) than the controls.
Conclusions: Children with GERD were at an increased risk of developing DE compared with healthy subjects.