The progression of tooth erosion in a cohort of adolescents of mixed ethnicity.
OBJECTIVE
To establish the prevalence of tooth erosion in a sample of 12-year-old children and to monitor changes over the subsequent 2 years.


METHODS
A random sample of 1753 children aged 12 years was drawn from all 62 state maintained schools in Leicestershire. A total of 1308 were re-examined 2 years later. Erosion was recorded on incisors and first molars using an erosion index based upon that from the Children's Dental Health in the United Kingdom 1993 survey. A score was also allocated to each subject according to the most advanced lesion in the mouth.


RESULTS
Erosion was present in 56.3% of subjects at age 12 and 64.1% at age 14. Deep enamel or dentine was eroded in 4.9% and 13.1% of subjects, respectively, at the same ages. One hundred and sixty-one (12.3%) children who were erosion-free at 12 years of age developed erosion over the subsequent 2 years. Boys had more erosion than girls, as did white compared to Asian children. Associations were found between erosion experience and social deprivation.


CONCLUSIONS
New erosive lesions developed in 12.3% of the subjects between the ages of 12 and 14 years. New or more advanced lesions were seen in 27% of the children over the 2 years of the study. Males, white children and social deprivation were significantly associated with erosion experience.
Dugmore
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CR
Melton, Rutland and Harborough NHS Trust, Pasley Road Dental Clinic, Monsell, Leicester. Christopher.Dugmore@mrh-pct.nhs.uk
Rock
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WP
D000293:Adolescent; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D044466:Asian People; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003467:Cultural Deprivation; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000473:pathology; D003804:Dentin / Q000473:pathology; D018450:Disease Progression; D004739:England; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D014077:Tooth Erosion / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D044465:White People