DENTAL EROSION IN 4-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN FROM DIFFERING SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS

Although there is very little epidemiological evidence on the prevalen ce and severity of erosion in children and adults, there have been rec ent case reports suggesting that the problem of erosion is increasing. This study describes the use of a simple reproducible erosion index. A total of 178 four-year-old children were assessed; almost half of th ese children showed signs of erosion. The most common site affected wa s the palatal surface of the upper incisors with 17 percent of the chi ldren examined showing visible dentine for greater than one third of t he tooth surface. When considering the influence of socioeconomic soup on the prevalence of erosion, four out of five children examined in t he low socioeconomic group showed low levels of erosion, while a much seater prevalence was observed in the higher socioeconomic groups.