Lower First Molars are the Key for Dental Erosion

Method: Data from a nationwide survey of erosion in children and adolescents using a representative sample of 2,251 children, aged 6y, 12y and 15y, being 20% of each relevant age group, were examined. Erosion was recorded for all surfaces of the permanent teeth.  The test was to compare the observation of erosion on lower first permanent molars (36,46) with erosion being recorded elsewhere in the mouth. 

Result: From the national survey, no erosion was seen in permanent teeth of six-year-olds, but was present in 17.5% of 12-year-olds (19.9% boys, 11.0% girls p<0.001). Among 15-year-olds, erosion was seen in 30.7% of subjects (38.3% boys, 22.7% girls p<0.001).  Using the lower first molars as indicator teeth for diagnosing dental erosion yielded SN/SP of 98,2%/100% and 93,8%/100% for 15- and 12-year-olds respectively.  Only 1.5% of subjects aged 12y and 0.8% aged 15y had erosion that did not show up on the lower first molars.

Conclusion: Erosion on lower first molars could give a simple and reliable means of determining the prevalence of erosion in epidemiological studies and risk evaluation in individual patient examinations of adolescents.