GOLD COAST, Australia: Researchers from Griffith's School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University and National Dental Research Institute Singapore have recently found that children from families with high income are more prone to tooth wear than lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Tooth wear has been a loss of tooth substance by abrasion, erosion, attrition and abfraction. It has also been a progressive and irreversible wearing down of teeth over time, making it sensitive and affecting a person's ability to eat and drink.
Sheema Entezami, lead author of the research, and colleagues conducted a global study of 30 countries. They analysed 65 studies with 64,000 participants to determine a causal link between socioeconomic status and tooth wear in children and adults. They found that individuals who attend private schools or have a high family income have been more susceptible to wearing down their teeth than those from lower socioeconomic areas.
Dr Khaled Ahmed, the contributing author from Griffith's School of Medicine and Dentistry, said that fizzy drinks, energy drinks and packaged juices were available in many countries to the affluent. These dietary habits might predispose children of all socioeconomic levels to erosive risk, but those from a 'high' socioeconomic status might be more frequently exposed due to increased access.
Whereas adults with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to have tooth wear due to poor diet, eating disorders, limited access to dental care, underlying medical conditions such as acid reflux, stress and depression, he said.
Dr Ahmed said, "This is the first comprehensive review investigating the link between socioeconomic status and tooth wear worldwide."
The researchers also found that consuming traditional acidic foods like tamarind, baobab, hibiscus, and citrus teas in certain countries increased tooth wear among the country's population.
Dr Ahmed considers that raising awareness of tooth wear through targeted public health programs and education has been the first line of defence to prevent the progression of tooth wear that later in life might require costly dental intervention.
The article 'Tooth wear and socioeconomic status in childhood and adulthood: findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies' has recently been published online in the Journal of Dentistry.
