Clinical Evaluation of Acid Erosion in a Dental Clinic (Taiwan)

Objective: Dental erosion is the loss of enamel and dentine by chemical means not involving bacteria. This study investigated the prevalence and severity of dental erosion in a dental clinic (Taiwan). Materials and methods: The subjects were individuals visited the dental clinic of a university hospital between December 2008 and December 2009. Four hundred and seventy three patients (259 males, 214 females, ages 15~ 65 yrs) with mean age of 37.37±16.45 yrs at the clinic were included. A questionnaire was given to the patient after dental examination to collect general data, dietary habits. The data were evaluated statistically to find the prevalence and severity of dental erosion in relation to acid acidic drinking and dietary habits. Results: In a total of 473 patients with 9,725 teeth examined, 1,718 (17.67%) teeth in 62.58% patients were noted with erosion. The prevalence and number of eroded teeth were the highest in the age-group of 11 to 20 yrs, but no significant difference between genders was noted. The patients' consumption of acidic food frequently was related with the number of teeth eroded. Conclusion: We found that more than half of patients in our dental clinic were with acid erosion of different severity. It is important to call for general attention about how to avoid erosion and its damage.