Prevalence of dental erosion among 11-12 year old school children in Baghdad– Al- Rusafa side

Abstract

Back ground: dental erosion is the irreversible loss of dental hard tissue by a direct acid attack which is due to chemical process not involving bacteria and not directly associated with mechanical or traumatic factors, or with dental caries. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of dental erosion among the total sample which composed of 800 children. Material and method: this survey was conducted on children aged between 11-12 year old in three primary schools in Baghdad – Al- Rusafa side. The school children participated in this study were 800 (380 boys and 420 girls), the affected group was consisting of (31) boys and (24) girls. The level of erosion was recorded by using modified tooth wear index (1994).Results of this study showed that the prevalence of dental erosion was (6.87%), distributed as (3.13%) mild erosion, (2.5%) moderate erosion and (1.25%) severe erosion. Higher prevalence was found in boys (3.87%) than girls (3%) with significant difference.A statistically significant difference (P<0.05) is observed between means of affected facial and lingual/palatal surfaces with score 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The difference between the upper and lower facial surfaces and also between palatal and lingual surfaces was: highly significant (P<0.01) for score 1, significant difference (P<0.05) for score 2 and a non- significant difference (P>0.05) for score 3. A non- significant difference (P>0.05) is found between the upper and lower occlusal surfaces affected with score 1, 2, and 3 respectively.Conclusion: the prevalence of dental erosion was higher in boys than in girls, which is due to higher consumption of acidic drinks and high frequency of carbonated drink intake.