Dental Erosion in Brazilian Schoolchildren: Relationship to Diet and Caries

Introduction: Dental erosion appears to be affecting a growing number of children but there are few data on its prevalence worldwide. Consumption of acidic foods and drinks are often postulated as a risk factor. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of dental erosion amongst Brazilian schoolchildren and to correlate this with dietary risk factors and dental caries. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 14 schools in Tres Coracoes, Southeast Brazil. Ethical approval was obtained from the local ethics committee. Written consent was obtained from parents and pupils. Randomly selected schoolchildren (n=458), mean age 13.81 (SD 0.39) years, were examined for both erosion and caries. Dental erosion was assessed according to the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey-2000 criteria. Dental caries was assessed according to the WHO-1997 criteria. Oral examinations took place in a school room, using a head-mounted light. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on dietary risk factors, including consumption of fruits, drinks and acidic foods. Data were imported into SPSS and analysed for statistical significance by Chi-squared and t-tests. Results: The prevalence of erosion was 34.1%, in enamel only and most commonly on palatal surfaces of upper incisors. Preliminary Chi-squared analysis showed a significant association between erosion and daily consumption of carbonated drinks, but not fresh fruits, fruit juices or yogurt. There were 21.6% children who were caries free. The mean DMFT/DMFS was 3.83(SD 3.87)/6.37(SD 6.37). No statistically significant association was found between erosion and caries. Conclusion: A substantial proportion of this sample of Brazilian schoolchildren had mild erosion which was associated with the consumption of carbonated drinks. Erosion did not correlate with levels of dental caries. This study was supported by the grant 1376/01-2 from CAPES–Brazil.