CLINICAL MANIFESTATION AND INCIDENCE OF DENTAL ENAMEL EROSION IN PATIENTS UNDER ANTIHYPERTENSIVE THERAPY

Dental erosions are defined as an irreversible loss of hard dental tissue caused by long-lasting and repetitive acid action, which dissolves the surface layer of hydroxyapatite crystal structure and fluorapatite, and the aggressive noxis not being created by the bacteria. Dental erosions can also be classified as occupational diseases. People who taste wine or carbonated drinks on a daily basis, as well as the people who are professionally engaged in swimming can spot this type of defect on their own teeth. Evaporation of industrial acids in battery factories, sanitary materials, or crystalline glass can also lead to dental erosions. Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of dental erosion in patients under antihypertensive therapy and compare them with the frequency of dental erosion in patients who did not take the same therapy. Material and method: This research involved 62 respondents, aged from 20 to 70. Patients were classified into two groups, the experimental group with 31 patients being on a therapy with antihypertensive medications for more than 5 years, and the other one, control group, with 31 patients not being on the mentioned therapy. The subjective dental anamnesis obtained from the patients was noted along with tooth status, soft tissue intraoral examination and the degree of erosive changes according to BEWE index (Basic Erosive Wear Examination). Results: Comparing the statistical significance in difference between erosive index value of all teeth, there is obvious statistical difference of the average value. In the experimental group (p0.05), higher values of tooth erosion index were noted in comparison with the control group. The average value in the experimental group is 2.25, while in the control group it is 1.37. Conclusion: Erosive lesions are present in both experimental and control group respondents, with dental erosion being more explicit with patients who use antihypertensive medications.