Location-specific dental erosions also unrelated to salivary flow or bacterial load
MONDAY, Oct. 31 (HealthDay News) -- There is no correlation between location-specific dental erosions and the presence of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms, salivary flow, or bacterial load, according to a study published in the November issue of Gastroenterology.
Yvette K. Wild, M.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues examined dental erosion prevalence in children with and without symptoms of GER, and whether saliva flow rate or bacterial load factor into dental erosions of specific locations. Data were collected from questionnaires on dietary exposure for 59 children with GER symptoms and 20 asymptomatic controls. The presence of erosion into dentin, erosion locations, and affected surfaces were inspected in all permanent teeth. Bacterial load in the saliva was calculated for total bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, and Lactobacilli, and stimulated flow of the saliva was assessed.
The investigators found that after controlling for dietary intake, age, and oral hygiene, there was no correlation between GER symptoms and dental erosion based on tooth location or the affected surface. There was no association between salivary flow and GER symptoms or erosion. The site and the surface of erosion were independent of the levels of total bacteria, Streptococcus mutans, and Lactobacilli.
"Location-specific dental erosion is not associated with GER, salivary flow, or bacterial load," the authors write.
The study was partially funded by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc.
Abstract
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