Evaluation of Dentists' Diagnostic and Treatment Approaches to Dental Erosion Cases
Abstract
Objective: Studies on the etiology, prevalence, and treatment options of dental erosion have recently increased in the dental literature. This study aims to investigate the dental erosion experiences, awareness, diagnostic knowledge, and treatment option preferences of a group of dentists practicing in Turkey.Methods: A total of 250 Turkish dentists participated in the study. The dentists were asked to answer an evaluation form consisting of 16 questions, including a case evaluation. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Pearson Chi-Square test (P<.05).Results: The study involved 173 female and 77 male dentists, averaging 32.48 ± 9.94 years old. Most dentists graduated between 2010 and 2019 (49.2%) and were non-specialists (62%). Dental erosion was most commonly seen in participants over 35 years of age (64.4%) and in male patients (36%), which were on the palatal/lingual surfaces of the anterior teeth (28.5%). Around 84.4% of the participants received training on dental erosion during their undergraduate studies. Only 6.8% of those who received this training used an index to assess erosion severity. The most commonly used index was the Basic Erosive Wear Evaluation (BEWE) (62.5%). Also, in this case study, it was seen that dentists most frequently advised their patients to avoid acidic beverages to prevent dental erosion (25.5%) and the most preferred treatment approach was composite resin restoration (25%). In addition, it was observed that the dentists who participated in the study were confident in the diagnosis and treatment of dental erosion lesions and needed more training in the grading of dental lesion severity.Conclusion: More education and awareness on the use of indexing and scoring systems for dental erosion is needed. Therefore, it is recommended that such systems be incorporated into both undergraduate and postgraduate education and that standard clinical guidelines be established.Keywords: Basic erosive wear examination, dental erosion, dentists, erosive tooth wear