Quantification of Dental Biofilm in Children with Dental Erosion

Abstract

Objective: To quantify dental biofilm through the simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S) proposed by Greene and Vermillion in children with dental erosion comparing them to children without this oral health problem. Material and Methods: The study included 48 children aged 4-9 years treated at the Clinic of Pediatric Dentistry of the Cruzeiro do Sul University, examined by a single trained and calibrated examiner according to O'Brien index for the diagnosis of dental erosion, in which 24 children had erosion lesions in teeth and 24 children did not have this oral health problem. Later, children received guidance and standardization for the OHI-S evaluation. Data were analyzed by the Poisson univariate logistic regression. Prevalence ratio (PR) values and 95% confidence intervals (CI 95%) were calculated. Results: The mean (standard deviation) of the OHI-S of children who had dental erosion was 1.19 (0.38), lower than children in the group without dental erosion 1.73 (0.44). The amount of biofilm on teeth was associated with the presence of dental erosion (OR 95% CI = 0.393; 0188-0822) and p-value = 0.013. Regarding the reduction in the WSL dimension, no significant difference between groups was observed (p = 0.931). Conclusion: Children with dental erosion showed a significantly lower amount of biofilm compared to children without this oral health problem, and dental biofilm can be a possible protective factor against acid attacks and development of dental erosion.