We define erosion as apartial demineralisation of enamel or dentine by intrinsic or extrinsic acidsand erosive tooth wear as the accelerated loss of dental hard tissue through the combined effect of erosion and mechanical wear (abrasion and attrition) on the tooth surface. Most experts believe that during the last decade there has been a significant increase in the prevalence and severity of erosive tooth wear, particularly in adolescents. Even when erosive wear occurs in its milder forms, this is a matter of concern, as it may compromise the integrity of an otherwise healthy dentition in later life. The erosive wear process is complicated and modified by many chemical, behavioural and associated processes in the mouth. If interventions are to be developed it is therefore important that in vivo methods are developed to assess the outcomes of the erosion and erosive wear processes and the effects of interventions upon them. This paper discusses potential methods of investigating erosion and erosive wear in vivo and the difficulties associated with clinical studies.

Keywords:
Dental erosion, Erosive wear, Abrasion, Clinical methodology, Clinical trials
1.
Amaechi BT, Podoleanu A, Higham SM, Jackson DA: Correlation of quantitative light-induced fluorescence and optical coherence tomography applied for detection and quantification of early dental caries. J Biomed Opt 2003;8:642–647.
2.
Angmar-Månsson B, ten Bosch JJ: Optical methods for the detection and quantification of caries. Adv Dent Res 1987;1:14–20.
3.
Bartlett D, Ganss C, Lussi A: Basic erosive wear examination (BEWE): a new scoring system for scientific and clinical needs. Clin Oral Investig 2008;12(suppl 1):S65–S68.
4.
Bartlett DW, Blunt L, Smith BG: Measurement of tooth wear in patients with palatal erosion. Br Dent J 1997;182:179–184.
5.
Bartlett DW, Evans DF, Anggiansah A, Smith BG: A study of the association between gastro-oesophageal reflux and palatal dental erosion. Br Dent J 1996;181:125–131.
6.
Berry DC, Poole DFG: Attrition: possible mechanisms of compensation. J Oral Rehabil 1976;3:201–206.
7.
de Josselin de Jong E, Sundstrom F, Westerling H, Tranaeus S, ten Bosch JJ, Angmar-Månsson B: A new method for in vivo quantification of changes in initial enamel caries with laser fluorescence. Caries Res 1995;29:2–7.
8.
Dugmore CR, Rock WP: The progression of tooth erosion in a cohort of adolescents of mixed ethnicity. Int J Paediatr Dent 2003;13:295–303.
9.
Eccles JD: The treatment of dental erosion. J Dent 1978;6:217–221.
10.
Eccles JD: Dental erosion of nonindustrial origin. A clinical survey and classification. J Prosthet Dent 1979;42:649–653.
11.
El Aidi H, Bronkhorst EM, Huysmans MC, Truin GJ: Dynamics of tooth erosion in adolescents: a 3-year longitudinal study. J Dent 2010;38:131–137.
12.
Elton V, Cooper L, Higham SM, Pender N: Validation of enamel erosion in vitro. J Dent 2009;37:336–341.
13.
Fareed K, Johansson A, Omar R: Prevalence and severity of occlusal tooth wear in a young Saudi population. Acta Odontol Scand 1990;48:279–285.
14.
Fosse G, Rosengren B, Skaale S, Leknes K, Wulff L: An in vivo method for microhardness measurements on human teeth. Scand J Dent Res 1986;94:27–37.
15.
Ganss C, Klimek J, Giese K: Dental erosion in children and adolescents – a cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation using study models. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2001;29:264–271.
16.
Ganss C, Lussi A, Klimek J: Comparison of calcium/phosphorus analysis, longitudinal microradiography and profilometry for the quantitative assessment of erosive demineralisation. Caries Res 2005;39:178–184.
17.
Hjortsjö C, Jonski G, Thrane PS, Saxegaard E, Young A: The effects of acidic fluoride solutions on early enamel erosion in vivo. Caries Res 2009a;43:126–131.
18.
Hjortsjö C, Jonski G, Thrane PS, Saxegaard E, Young A: Effect of stannous fluoride and dilute hydrofluoric acid on early enamel erosion over time in vivo. Caries Res 2009b;43:449–454.
19.
Huysmans MC, Thijssen JM: Ultrasonic measurement of enamel thickness: a tool for monitoring dental erosion? J Dent 2000;28:187–191.
20.
Jaeggi T, Lussi A: Prevalence, incidence and distribution of erosion; in Lussi A (ed): Dental Erosion: From Diagnosis to Therapy. Monogr Oral Sci. Basel, Karger, 2006, vol 20, pp 44–65.
21.
Kreulen CM, van’t Spijker A, Rodriguez JM, Bronkhorst EM, Creugers NHJ, Bartlett DW: Systematic review of the prevalence of tooth wear in children and adolescents. Caries Res 2010;44:151–159.
22.
Larsen MJ: Chemical events during tooth dissolution. J Dent Res 1990;69:575–580, discussion 634–576.
23.
Linkosalo E, Markkanen H: Dental erosions in relation to lactovegetarian diet. Scand J Dent Res 1985;93:436–441.
24.
Longbottom C, Perfect E, Rowley-Williams C, Pitts NB: A luminescent calcium-ion binder in the assessment of dental erosion risk/ susceptibility – an in vitro feasibility study (abstract). Caries Res 2008;42:229.
25.
Louwerse C, Kjaeldgaard M, Huysmans MC: The reproducibility of ultrasonic enamel thickness measurements: an in vitro study. J Dent 2004;32:83–89.
26.
Lussi A: Dental erosion clinical diagnosis and case history taking. Eur J Oral Sci 1996;104:191–198.
27.
Lussi A, Schaffner M: Progression of and risk factors for dental erosion and wedge-shaped defects over a 6-year period. Caries Res 2000;34:182–187.
28.
Lussi A, Schlueter N, Rakhmatullina E, Ganss C: Dental erosion – an overview with emphasis on chemical and pathohistological aspects. Caries Res 2011;45(suppl 1):2–12.
29.
Mehl A, Gloger W, Kunzelmann KH, Hickel R: A new optical 3-D device for the detection of wear. J Dent Res 1997;76:1799–1807.
30.
Millward A, Shaw L, Smith AJ, Rippin JW, Harrington E: The distribution and severity of tooth wear and the relationship between erosion and dietary constituents in a group of children. Int J Paediatr Dent 1994;4:151–157.
31.
Oilo G, Dahl BL, Hatle G, Gad AL: An index for evaluating wear of teeth. Acta Odontol Scand 1987;45:361–365.
32.
Pesun IJ, Olson AK, Hodges JS, Anderson GC: In vivo evaluation of the surface of posterior resin composite restorations: a pilot study. J Prosthet Dent 2000;84:353–359.
33.
Pintado MR, Anderson GC, DeLong R, Douglas WH: Variation in tooth wear in young adults over a two-year period. J Prosthet Dent 1997;77:313–320.
34.
Popescu DP, Sowa MG, Hewko MD, Choo-Smith LP: Assessment of early demineralization in teeth using the signal attenuation in optical coherence tomography images. J Biomed Opt 2008;13:054053.
35.
Pretty IA, Edgar WM, Higham SM: The validation of quantitative light-induced fluorescence to quantify acid erosion of human enamel. Arch Oral Biol 2004;49:285–294.
36.
Pretty IA, Tavener JA, Browne D, Brettle DS, Whelton H, Ellwood RP: Quantification of dental fluorosis using fluorescence imaging. Caries Res 2006;40:426–434.
37.
Schlueter N, Ganss C, De Sanctis S, Klimek J: Evaluation of a profilometrical method for monitoring erosive tooth wear. Eur J Oral Sci 2005;113:505–511.
38.
Schlueter N, Hara A, Shellis RP, Ganss C: Methods for measurement and characterization of erosion in enamel and dentine. Caries Res 2011;45(suppl 1):13–23.
39.
Smith BG, Knight JK: An index for measuring the wear of teeth. Br Dent J 1984;156:435–438.
40.
Sundaram G, Wilson R, Watson TF, Bartlett D: Clinical measurement of palatal tooth wear following coating by a resin sealing system. Oper Dent 2007a;32:539–543.
41.
Sundaram G, Wilson R, Watson TF, Bartlett DW: Effect of resin coating on dentine compared to repeated topical applications of fluoride mouthwash after an abrasion and erosion wear regime. J Dent 2007b;35:814–818.
42.
Truin GJ, van Rijkom HM, Mulder J, van’t Hof MA: Caries trends 1996–2002 among 6- and 12-year-old children and erosive wear prevalence among 12-year-old children in The Hague. Caries Res 2005;39:2–8.
43.
van’t Spijker A, Rodriguez JM, Kreulen CM, Bronkhorst EM, Bartlett DW, Creugers NH: Prevalence of tooth wear in adults. Int J Prosthodont 2009;22:35–42.
44.
van Rijkom HM, Truin GJ, Frencken JE, Konig KG, van’t Hof MA, Bronkhorst EM, Roeters FJ: Prevalence, distribution and background variables of smooth-bordered tooth wear in teenagers in The Hague, The Netherlands. Caries Res 2002;36:147–154.
45.
Wilder-Smith CH, Wilder-Smith P, Kawakami-Wong H, Voronets J, Osann K, Lussi A: Quantification of dental erosions in patients with GERD using optical coherence tomography before and after double-blind, randomised treatment with esomeprazole or placebo. Am J Gastroenterol 2009;104:2788–2795.
46.
Young A, Amaechi B, Dugmore C, Holbrook P, Nunn J, Schiffner U, Lussi A, Ganss C: Current erosion indices — flawed or valid? Summary. Clin Oral Investig 2008;12:S59–S63.
47.
Young A, Thrane PS, Saxegaard E, Jonski G, Rolla G: Effect of stannous fluoride toothpaste on erosion-like lesions: an in vivo study. Eur J Oral Sci 2006;114:180–183.
© 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel
2011
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.