Brown Lesions in Dentin: Caries versus Erosion

Today’s dental professionals are frequently confronted with brown lesions in dentin. This image represents Type III contemporary dental erosion lesions, yet it is strikingly resembling the traditionally described dental caries. Such a resemblance can be misleading and could complicate diagnosis. An erroneous identification of these lesions may not alter restorative management but could indeed derail the course of preventive measures leading to an undesirable prognosis. To avoid this mishap, the characteristics, etiology and pathogenesis of brown erosion lesions are reviewed and their fundamental clinical differences from the comparable carious lesions are highlighted to aid in identification and to a proper preventive course.