Medical conditions and erosive tooth wear

As a dental professional, there are many reasons why it is vital that signs and symptoms that suggest that an individual’s ETW may be linked to a broader medical problem than just poor diet are picked on. Primarily, spotting an underlying medical cause for erosive tooth wear (ETW) increases the likelihood that further deterioration in the individual’s oral health will be prevented. However perhaps more importantly, many of the medical conditions which are commonly related to ETW can have serious and even possibly fatal consequences if left untreated or not diagnosed: namely gastro-eosphageal reflux disease (due to its propensity to lead to premalignant changes in the oesophagus) and eating disorders (especially anorexia) which despite being uncommon, are the leading causes of mental health-related deaths, due to the effects of malnutrition and a result of suicide.
This paper reviews the nature of the most common and serious medical conditions related to ETW and will discuss the role of the dental team in the diagnoses, prevention and management of these conditions.