Assessing dentists’ diagnosis and management of dental erosion

Objectives: The frequency of dental erosion has been on the rise in recent years affecting children and adults. The objectives of this study were to determine the current prevalence of dental erosion in the USA and to assess the measuring tools used among practitioners, preventative measures, and the treatment strategies.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was emailed in August 2018 to 631 US practicing dentists, who belong to the ADA Clinical Evaluator’s (ACE) panel. The Qualtrics Research CORE platform was used to build the survey and generate a link that was deployed electronically to the panelists. The links were anonymous and each participant received a computer randomized unique identification number that was generated upon receipt of the survey answers.
Results: A response rate of 51% was achieved; 322 out of 631 dentists completed the survey with the participation of general dentists and specialists, with a mean age of 58.5 years, distributed in 46 US states and one territory. The descriptive results showed that the prevalence of dental erosion increased by 37% compared to 5 years ago. 43% of respondents diagnosed patients on a monthly basis, while 26% diagnose on a weekly basis. Interestingly, 82% of dentists are not familiar with any measuring system for diagnosis and 80% of respondents regularly advise patients on prevention strategies, once dental erosion has been detected.
Conclusions: The survey confirmed the increase in prevalence of dental erosion in the US over the last 5 years. Dentists are not only aware of the condition but are also taking action by regularly advising their patients on prevention measures and management recommendations. More efforts should be invested however, to provide additional training on diagnosis, and the proper use of measuring systems to monitor the progression of dental erosion.