Dental erosion in French adolescents

Background: Since the 2000s, different epidemiological studies focusing on the prevalence or the aetiology of DE in adolescents recognised them as an at-risk population due to their eating behaviours. None was carried out in French adolescents. The primary objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental erosion (DE) using the total BEWE score among adolescents in the department of Alpes Maritimes, France. The secondary objectives were to observe changes in prevalence estimates depending on both the cutoffvalue of total BEWE score with different teeth/dental surfaces examined, and to identify the related risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study in a multistage random sample of 339 14-yr-old schoolchildren was carried out in 2014. The children completed a self-administered questionnaire concerning diet and oral habits. Caries was assessed with ICDAS-II (International Caries Detection and Assessment System-II) criteria and erosion with BEWE (Basic Erosive Wear Examination) index. The total BEWE score was calculated to assess the DE prevalence with two cutoff values (3 and 1). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models. Results: The 331 children were aged 14.4 +/- 0.5 years. The DE prevalence was 39 % using a total BEWE score >= 3. With a cutoff total BEWE score of 1 (at least one affected tooth), the prevalence varied from 3.9 to 56.8 % depending on the teeth/surfaces that were used for the analysis. The DE prevalence, assessed with only first molars and maxillary incisors, was about 54 %. The risk factors for DE (total BEWE score >= 3) were daily consumption of acidic beverages (OR: 4.0; 95 % CI: 2.1-7.6) and acidic sweets (OR: 3.2; 95 % CI: 1.2-8.0), low socio economic category (OR: 2.4; 95 % CI: 1.1-5.0) and visible dental biofilm (OR: 2.0; 95 % CI: 1.2-3.4). Conclusion: Depending on the method chosen, the prevalence varied from 3.9 to 56.8 % among these adolescents. Thus, a consensus on choice of index, teeth to examine and age at assessment is necessary to standardise measurement of DE prevalence.