title: Relationship between food habits and tooth erosion occurrence in Malaysian University students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tooth erosion is a growing dental problem; however, the role of diet in the aetiology of tooth erosion is unclear. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the association between tooth erosion occurrence and the consumption of acidic foods and drinks among undergraduate university students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 150 undergraduate students (33 males and 117 females) aged 19 to 24 years at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia participated in this study. The Basic Erosive Wear Examination was used to assess the occurrence of tooth erosion. Information regarding dental hygiene practices, usual dietary habits, and consumption of acidic foods and drinks was obtained through a structured questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 68% of subjects had tooth erosion. Subjects who reported having received information about healthy eating were less likely to have tooth erosion (χ(2) [1, N = 150] = 7.328, P = 0.007). The frequencies of milk (OR = 0.29, 95% CI = 0.13-0.67) and tea/coffee (adjusted OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.19-0.95) consumption were negatively associated with tooth erosion. Dental hygiene practice, the frequency and amount of acidic food and drink intake, and body mass index classification were not significantly associated with the risk of tooth erosion (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high prevalence of tooth erosion was observed among this group of students. Preventive measures, such as dietary advice and increased consumption of milk at a younger age, may reduce the occurrence of tooth erosion among this age group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Zahara Abdul
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Manaf
authors.forename: Mei Tee
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Nor Hazirah Muhammad
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Selvamary
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Samynathan
authors.forename: Ying Phor
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Jie
authors.forename: Noor Hasnani
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bibiana Hui Ying
authors.forename: Yeo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wei Seng
authors.forename: Nurul Asyikin
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Yahya