Wasting Disease: Erosion! A Diagnosis, Prevention and Management

Background: Tooth wear is recognized as a major problem in both children and adults. The triad of erosion, attrition and abrasion has been known for many years but the contribution of erosion to tooth wear may be increasing. Dental erosion is the irreversible loss of dental hard tissue due to a chemical process of acid dissolution but not involving bacterial plaque acid, and not directly associated with mechanical or traumatic factors, or with dental caries. Attrition may be defined as direct tooth-to- tooth contact wear, whilst particles moving across and contacting the tooth surface results in abrasion. Conclusion: Erosion usually co-exists with attrition and/or abrasion, but one of these factors may be more significant than the others making differential diagnosis difficult.