The Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) applied retrospectively to two studies

Area of Science:

• Dental science
• Public health dentistry
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Tooth erosion is a growing concern requiring standardized assessment methods.
• Community-based evaluations are essential for understanding erosion prevalence and severity.
• The Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) was developed to address this need.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) scoring system.
• To assess tooth erosion using BEWE in a national survey of children and adolescents.
• To analyze BEWE scores in a cohort of referred patients.

Main Methods:

• A national survey examined 2,251 children (6, 12, 15 years) for tooth erosion on all permanent tooth surfaces.
• Erosion data were converted into BEWE scores.
• BEWE scores were also calculated for 351 referred patients.

Main Results:

• No erosion was observed in 6-year-olds; prevalence increased in 12-year-olds (19.9% boys, 11.0% girls) and 15-year-olds (30.7% subjects).
• Higher mean BEWE scores were noted in older children and boys compared to girls.
• Referred patients with gastric reflux symptoms had significantly higher BEWE scores (9.4) than those without (6.0).

Conclusions:

• The BEWE scoring method effectively demonstrates increasing tooth erosion severity and gender differences in adolescents.
• Intrinsic acid erosion, such as from gastric reflux, is associated with higher BEWE scores.
• The BEWE methodology is a valuable tool for assessing dental erosion in population studies.