Dental wear in primary and permanent teeth, in Brazilian children

Objective: The aim was to identified of dental wear in primary and permanent teeth and other clinical variables obtained in a cross-sectional survey.  

Method: An epidemiological survey was by trained, calibrated examiners, using a dental wear index (DWI). The cluster sample consisted of 7-10-year-old children (n=396) attending 4 selected public schools from the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Dental parameters (dental caries and fluorosis), nutritional assessment (BMI) and school type of 396 representatively selected subjects among 7-10 year-olds with mixed dentition were checked for association with the occurrence of dental wear using a univariate and logistic regression model.

Result: Of the 396 schoolchildren examined, 98.74% of those showed some dental wear, being   90.91% in primary and 72.47% in permanent teeth. The incisal/occlusal surfaces were most frequently affected by tooth wear. The following independent variables were associated with dental wear: experience in primary dentition, and ages (9 and 10 years). Molars had the highest estimated risk for developing dental wear, in both dentitions (p<0.00). 

Conclusion: The previous experience of dental wear in primary teeth is considering a risk predictor for permanent teeth if the subjects are exposed to same behavior etiological factors. Further, this occurrence can be used like a risk marker in epidemiological surveys.