Eating habits associated with children's dental erosion in a Health Center in Tacna

Abstract

Objective: To determine the relationship between dietary habits and dental erosion in children attending a health center in Tacna.
Material and Methods: This was a quantitative, observational, correlational, and cross-sectional study conducted on 158 children aged 6 to 12 years who attended the Dentistry service at the Viñani Health Center in Tacna, Peru. Participants were selected by non-probabilistic convenience sampling following informed parental consent and child assent. Children who hindered clinical examination or had a history of reflux were excluded. Dental erosion was assessed by clinical examination using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index, and dietary habits were evaluated through a questionnaire administered to parents and/or guardians, asking about the weekly consumption frequency of certain potentially erosive foods and beverages. The non-parametric
Spearman's Rho test was used for analysis. Results: 82.3% of the children presented with dental erosion, with a predominance of low-grade severity (40.5%), followed by moderate severity (28.5%). Among the children with dental erosion, 39.2% consumed 2 to 7 and 8 to 21 glasses of potentially erosive beverages, respectively; and 40.5% consumed 8 to 21 pieces of potentially erosive fruits per week. A direct relationship was found between a higher consumption of erosive foods or beverages and a greater probability of
dental erosion in children (p < 0.001). Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between dietary habits and dental erosion in
children aged 6 to 12 years attending the dentistry service at the Viñani Health Center in Tacna, Peru.