Dental Erosion

Erosion is defined as a partial demineralisation of enamel or dentine by intrinsic or extrinsic acids and erosive tooth wear as the accelerated loss of dental hard tissue through the combined effect of erosion and mechanical wear (abrasion and attrition) on the tooth surface. Dental erosion is a multifactorial condition: The interplay of chemical, biological and behavioural factors is crucial and help explain why some individuals exhibit more erosion than others. pH, acid type and concentration, degree of saturation, calcium and phosphate concentrations, inhibitors of erosion are some chemical factors that effect erosive potential. During the last 10 years, there has been a significant increase in the incidence and prevalence of erosive tooth wear. Clinical diagnosis of exposed dentine is made by assessing changes in colour, optical properties of the hard tissues besides clinical erosion scoring systems. In this review, risk factors causing erosion, mechanism of erosion, clinic and assessment of the dental erosion.