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• Dental erosion as extraoesophageal manifestation of gastro-oesophageal reflux
  Adolfo Benages
  Published on: 13 December 2005

• Published on: 13 December 2005

  Dental erosion as extraoesophageal manifestation of gastro-oesophageal reflux

  • Adolfo Benages, Professor of Gastroenterology
  • Other Contributors:
    • José V Muñoz, Vicente Sanchiz, Francisco Mora, Miguel Mínguez

  Dear Editor,

  Dental erosion can be considered as an extraoesophageal manifestation of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). Many reports have implicated refluxed gastric acid as a cause or contributory factor in the development of extraoesophageal disorders (“atypical” symptoms related to GORD), but the presence of lesions in oral cavity in patients with acid reflux has been less studied. The association between...

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  Dear Editor,

  Dental erosion can be considered as an extraoesophageal manifestation of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). Many reports have implicated refluxed gastric acid as a cause or contributory factor in the development of extraoesophageal disorders (“atypical” symptoms related to GORD), but the presence of lesions in oral cavity in patients with acid reflux has been less studied. The association between acid reflux and dental erosion was firstly described by Howden in 1971 and was confirmed in other studies later, both in the adult population and in children.

  We had studied two groups of subjects: 181 patients with GORD and 72 healthy volunteers. Clinical assessment including sex, age, body mass index, and consumption of tobacco and alcohol was performed in all subjects, as well as a dental examination performed by a dentist physician, blind as to the diagnosis of subjects. Parameters evaluated were the presence and number of dental erosion, location and severity, according to the Eccles and Jenkins index, modified by Hattab. Clinical parameters were similar in both groups (p>0.05). Compared with control group, the percentage of dental erosion was significantly higher in GORD group (12.5% vs. 47.5%, p<0.001, Chi-square test), as was the number and severity of dental erosions (p<0.001, Student’s t test). Location of dental erosion was significantly different between groups. Given the high prevalence of dental erosion in patients with acid reflux, the collaboration between gastroenterologists and dentists is necessary in order to identify dental involvement in patients diagnosed of GORD. On the contrary, subjects with unexplainable presence of dental erosion should be referred to gastroenterologists to investigate the presence of a probable GORD.

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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