Techniques to Evaluate Dental Erosion: A Systematic Review of Literature

Abstract

This article reviews different techniques for evaluating dental erosion, weighs the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques, and presents the latest trends in the study of dental erosion. In May 2014, an initial search was carried out in the PubMed/MEDLINE database of indexed journals from 1975 to 2013 using the following keywords: dental erosion; dental erosion In-vitro; and dental erosion in-vivo. Bibliographic citations from the papers found were then used to find other useful sources. The authors categorize the techniques into three classes: in-vitro, in-vivo and in-vitro/in-vivo. The article discusses the instrumentation required to use each of these techniques, as well as their rationale, merits and applications. The emergence of in-vitro/in-vivo techniques offers the potential to accurately quantify tooth wear in clinical situations. Cross-sectional as well as longitudinal studies show that these techniques will improve diagnosis, treatment planning and management of dental erosion.

Keywords: In-vitro techniques; Indices; Microradiography; Microscopy; Spectophotometry; Tomography; Tooth erosion; Wasting disease.