ABSTRACT

The authors have investigated the prevalence and reasons for erosive tooth wear, which has a complex and multifactorial etiology, in adolescents and adults in the eastern Mediterranean coastal city of Mersin, Turkey.

This cross‑sectional, descriptive study was performed from June 2019 to February 2020 using a survey at the Faculty of Dentistry, Mersin University, Turkey. The questionnaire forms containing an informative section about the study were distributed to the participants. Data on general sociodemographic variables and risk factors were obtained. The survey consisted of 16 questions, including questions on demographic information, general health status, oral health status, and acidic dietary intake time; an oral examination was performed at the end of the survey. The data were statistically analyzed using the Student’s t-test and one-way ANOVA.

There was a significant difference in the total erosion scores of the patients with respect to age (p=.000), whereas no significant differences among the total erosion scores of the patients regarding gender were observed. The presence of erosive tooth wear was significant in terms of the frequency of consuming sour snacks and fruit juice.

Dental erosion was associated with both internal and external risk factors. Maxillary and mandibular anterior teeth had more erosive wear.