Dental erosive wear among 15-year- old adolescent in Korea

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and severity of dental erosion among 15-year-old adolescent in Seoul, Korea. And also we compared the prevalence of erosion by sex, school groups, frequency of drinks, and socioeconomic factors. Methods: The study groups selected 15-year-old students in Seoul: 1,088 students were examined from 4 different schools; 484 were boys and 604 girls. One trained dentist were examined the condition of the teeth using Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index under the clinical setting. No erosive tooth wear was scored 0, initial loss of surface texture was scored 1, distinct defect, hard tissue loss <50% of the surface area was scored 2, scored 3 was hard tissue loss ≥50% of the surface area. The results were analysed SPSS 15.0 statistical package program (SPSS Inc, USA). Results: 102 adolescent out of 1,088 were showed dental erosion (6.3% of score 1, 3.0% of score 2). The prevalence of dental erosion was higher in female group (10.8%) than in male group (7.6%)(p<0.05). There were statistically significantly differences among schools (p<0.05). More soft drink drinkers showed more signs of the erosion in their teeth. This phenomenon was observed in both gender (p<0.05). There was no significantly difference according to socioeconomic conditions. Conclusions: This study showed that the prevalence of erosion is associated with varies factors such as cultural, behavioral, social, occupational factors. Therefore, there will be needed the development and education of an effective program which is suited for individual.