Prevention and control of dental erosion: Patient self-care

Abstract

This chapter presents new insights into the self-applied preventive strategies, comprising of both home-use products and recommended behavioral modifications to prevent dental erosion. It important to emphasize that these products should be delivered with counselling by motivational interview. Dental erosion is a multifactorial condition dependent on the interaction of chemical, biological and behavioral factors. Preventive measures are established according to the causal factors, which may include the dietary intervention, modification of acidic drinks and behavioral changes, in order to reduce the contact between acid and teeth. The modification of the tooth surface, by increasing its resistance against acidic attacks, is one of the most studied strategies. Many available active agents as fluoride, polyvalent metal cations, calcium phosphates in different forms, proteins, protease inhibitors and biopolymers (as chitosan) have been demonstrated to have some protective effect against erosion. Amongst them, the daily application of fluoride, especially those containing titanium or tin (as dentifrice or mouthrinse), has shown the best effect in reducing dental erosion. However, there is need for further clinical trials to better establish the protocols for the use of some of these agents.