Abstract
The prevalence of dental erosion among preschool children and its associated factors range widely between studies. The aims of this review are to evaluate the literature and to determine the prevalence and associated factors of dental erosion among children below 7 years old. An electronic search was undertaken to identify observational studies evaluating the prevalence of dental erosion and its associated factors in children below 7 years old. Dual independent screening, data extraction, risk of bias assessment, meta-analysis, meta-regression, and evaluation of quality of evidence were performed. Twenty-two papers were included. The overall estimated prevalence of dental erosion in children was 39.64% (95% CI: 27.62, 51.65; I2 = 99.9%), with very low certainty of evidence. There was also low-quality evidence suggesting that the likelihood of (1) boys having dental erosion was significantly higher than girls (p < 0.001) and (2) children with digestive disorders having dental erosion was significantly higher than those without such digestive disorders (p = 0.002). Qualitative synthesis identified that more frequent intake of fruit juices and soft drinks correlated with erosive tooth wear. Dental erosion is prevalent among over one-third of preschool children. Digestive disorders and dietary factors are the main potential contributing factors.
Highlights
Dental erosion refers to the chemical loss of mineralized tooth substance caused by the exposure to acids not derived from oral bacteria [1]
As previous studies have raised a multitude of possible risk factors of erosive tooth wear in children, the aim of this review is to systematically evaluate the literature and to determine the prevalence and associated factors of erosive tooth wear among children
Erosion Partial Recording System (EPRS); and Studies (S): observational studies, such as cohort, case–control, and cross-sectional studies on the prevalence and risk factors of erosive tooth wear in children up to 7 years of age with full texts written in English
Summary
Dental erosion refers to the chemical loss of mineralized tooth substance caused by the exposure to acids not derived from oral bacteria [1]. Dental erosion can cause dentine hypersensitivity; poor aesthetics; or in severe cases, near or frank pulp exposures requiring root canal treatment or extraction [2]. As enamel of the primary teeth is softer than that of permanent teeth [3], erosive tooth wear in primary teeth may occur faster and possibly result in pulp exposure in some cases [4]. As erosive tooth wear has serious long-term implications, it is important to establish the prevalence of erosive tooth wear, and its associated and aetiological factors. Erosive tooth wear is understood as a significant problem to many adults.
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