Updates in association of gastroesophageal reflux disease and dental erosion: systematic review

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Dental erosion occurs by dissolving dental apatite when exposed to non-bacterial acids. One of the factors that predispose to dental erosion is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) due to chronic regurgitation of gastric contents to the oropharynx. Thus, in addition to other extraesophageal symptoms, individuals with GERD may have erosive dental lesions.

Areas covered: The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the association and prevalence of erosive wear in patients with GERD. The bibliographic search was performed in the Pubmed and Web of Science databases, using the descriptors ‘gastroesophageal reflux disease’ AND ‘dental erosion’, considering clinical studies recently published from 2012 to 2020.

Expert opinion: GERD can be considered a risk factor for the development of erosive dental lesions, whose prevalence was significantly higher in this group. However, several other factors can be commonly associated with the prevalence and severity of dental erosion among the world population, such as dietary habits, lifestyle, abrasion and bruxism. Thus, the prevalence and distribution of erosive lesions among healthy and GERD subjects varied widely among studies, which denotes the etiological complexity of dental erosion and reinforces the importance of careful and detailed anamnesis in order to establish an accurate diagnosis.

KEYWORDS:

• Clinical trials
• dental erosion
• expert opinion
• gastroesophageal reflux disease

Article highlights

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common disorder that occurs by due to reflux of gastric contents to the esophagus.

• GERD can cause several discomforts and extraesophageal manifestations, such as mucous lesions and dental erosion.

• Dental erosion is a very common condition characterized by irreversible loss of dental structure when exposed to the action of non-bacterial acids.

• Dental erosion has a multifactorial etiology, affecting both deciduous and permanent teeth.

• GERD is a risk factor for dental erosion and the severity of erosive wear may be related to the intensity of acid regurgitation.

• Knowledge of the factors involved with dental erosion is essential for the correct diagnosis and early intervention.

Declaration of interest

The authors confirm that they have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001.