Background: Dental erosion is characterized by the progressive, irreversible loss of dental tissue. The present study was conducted to assess dental erosion among 7-14 years school children. Materials & Methods: The present study was conducted on 184 school children age ranged 7-14 years of both genders. Dental erosion was evaluated using the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE), which is scored as follows: 0 = No loss of tooth enamel; 1 = initial loss of enamel surface texture; 2 = Loss of hard tissue (dentin) on <50% of the surface area; and 3 = loss of hard tissue (dentin) on more than 50% of the surface area. Results: Age group 7-8 years had 23, 9-10 years had 54, 11-12 years had 65 and 13-14 years had 42 children. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). The mean BEWE score was 0 in 102, 1 in 52, 2 in 12, 3 in 10, 4 in 5, 5 in 2 and 8 in 1 children. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Frequency of intake of acidic foods was 1 time per day seen in 62% and 2 times per day in 38%. Frequency of intake of acidic beverages was 1/day in 56% and 2/day in 44%. Mode of ingesting acidic beverages was with glass in 74% and with straw in 26%. The difference was significant (P< 0.05). Conclusion: The excessive usage of acidic food and beverages among school children is alarming. Dental erosion is result of these bad habits.
Key words:  Acidic food, Children, Dental erosion

Received: 15 February, 2019                                     Revised:  26 May 2019                             Accepted: 28 May 2019

Corresponding author: Dr. Bhavna Gupta, Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Swami Devi Dayal Dental College, Panchkula, Haryana, India.
                                                                                 
This article may be cited as: Gupta B, Gupta R, Gupta M. Determination of dental erosion among 7-14 years school children- A cross sectional study. Int J Res Health Allied Sci 2019; 5(3):67-70.