Prevalence of Dental Erosion involving Dentin in Primary Dentition: A Meta-analysis

Objectives: Data on the occurrence of dentin exposure because of dental erosion among children in the primary dentition are scarce. Given the possible sequelae in the primary dentition of loss of tooth structure, sensitivity, pain and pulp exposure, and the impact of dental erosion over a lifetime, data on the prevalence is essential. The aim of this systematic review was to estimate the prevalence of dental erosion involving dentin in the primary dentition.
Methods: Indexed databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, Embase, Science direct, and LILACS) were searched without language restriction through December 2018. Eligibility criteria included population-based studies in primary teeth reporting data that allowed the calculation of prevalence rates of dental erosion involving dentin. We abstracted data on metrics including demographics, sample size, erosion indices used and tooth surfaces examined. The meta-analysis was performed using OpenMeta v5.26.14 software. Quality assessment of included studies was carried out to identify the risk of bias.
Results: The literature search generated 520 records, and 35 full-text articles were reviewed. Seventeen studies comprising 24.643 children fulfilled our selection criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Six different erosion indices were used, but the common outcome among all included studies was dentin exposure as an indicator of advanced erosion. Results of the meta-analysis indicated significant heterogeneity. Prevalence of dentin exposure as a result of erosion in deciduous teeth ranged from 0.9 to 35.3% with the global pooled prevalence being 14.3% (95% confidence interval (CI); 8.0 to 20.7%). The highest reported pooled prevalence was in Europe 24.2% (95% CI; 17.9 to 30.5%) and the lowest was in Asia 10.4% (95% CI; 5.0 to 15.8%).
Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, the available evidence suggests that dentin exposure because of dental erosion in the primary dentition is not uncommon.