Clinical and photographic assessment of erosion in 2-5-year-old children in Saudi Arabia.
OBJECTIVE
To compare findings from photographs of incisor teeth in pre-school children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to those on clinical examination for dental erosion.


METHODS
Cross sectional study of 2-5-year-old Saudi Arabian children using two methods of examination.


METHODS
of erosion was carried out clinically using a scoring system and criteria based on those used in the United Kingdom national surveys. Photographs of labial and palatal surfaces of maxillary primary incisors were taken for each child and scored in the same way.


METHODS
Kindergarten schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.


METHODS
987 children from 17 randomly selected schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.


RESULTS
Readable photographs were available for 727 children. Two hundred and twenty (30%) had photographic evidence of tooth tissue loss. Prevalence estimates derived from clinical examination were higher than those for photographs (36% compared to 30%). Agreement was seen between the two methods for 93% of the surfaces included.


CONCLUSIONS
Photographs have been employed in research in dentistry as well as for documentation and illustration. In epidemiology they have proved to be valuable in measuring enamel defects but have not been used for other conditions. Photographs have potential in measuring erosion, but may benefit from refinement.
Al-Malik
M I
MI
Department of Transcultural Oral Health, Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, UK.
Holt
R D
RD
Bedi
R
R
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D023861:Photography, Dental; D015995:Prevalence; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014077:Tooth Erosion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology