Timing of Dietary Acid Intake, Brushing Teeth and Acid Erosion.

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This is a questionnaire based study investigating the relationship between the timing of dietary acid intake toothbrushing and erosive tooth wear. Data will be collected on the timing, nature, frequency and duration of dietary acid intakes and timing and frequency of the participants toothbrushing. Signs of the participants erosive tooth wear will then be recorded

Detailed Description
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The study group will consist of two cohorts, those presenting with tooth wear and a control group. Participants will be recruited from the care planning clinic of the Dental Institute King's College London. Suitable participants meeting the inclusion criteria will be approached on the clinic, given the patient information sheet and asked to consider participating. Written consent will be obtained from those accepting the request. An interviewer-led, previously validated questionnaire will question their frequency and timing of dietary acid intake, tooth brushing and any habits associated with dietary acid intake. This will be followed by a Basic Erosive Wear Examination. The process will take 7-8 minutes and the participant is free to withdraw at any time

Official Title
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Timing of Dietary Acid Intake, Brushing Teeth and Acid Erosion.

Conditions
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Tooth Wear

Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Severe tooth wear with a BEWE score of 12 and at least one score of 3 in three quadrants Adult 18 years or older No missing anterior teeth minimum of at 10 teeth in the upper and 10 teeth in the lower jaw No anterior crowns/ bridges or implants Written consent to the study Exclusion Criteria: Pregnancy Participation in other research within 30 days Unable to speak or understand English Presence of periodontal disease or caries on more than one tooth

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Severe Tooth Wear<br>Severe tooth wear with a BEWE score of 12 and at least one score of 3 in three quadrants Adult 18 years or older No missing anterior teeth Minimum of at 10 teeth in the upper and 10 teeth in the lower jaw No anterior crowns/ bridges or implants Written consent to the study There was no intervention - just a questionnaire for each group | |
| Without Tooth Wear<br>BEWE score of 10 or lower and no score of 3 on any surface of any tooth (clinically classified as no or mild erosive tooth wear) Adult 18 years or older No missing anterior teeth Minimum of at 10 teeth in the upper and 10 teeth in the lower jaw No anterior crowns/ bridges or implants Written consent to the study There was no intervention - just a questionnaire for each group | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Basic Erosive Wear Examination | Each tooth will be graded by the extent of the surface which the acid has damaged. The Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index will grade tooth wear on the buccal, occlusal and palatal/lingual surfaces of each tooth excluding third molars. This ordinal scale graded tooth wear from 0 to 3 (0 = no wear, 1 = early surface loss, 2 = surface loss < 50% or specific defect, 3 = surface loss > 50%). The worst score in each sextant will be taken to be the sextant score. A cumulative score will be calculated for the mouth by adding each sextant score, which can range from 0-18. A higher score indicates a higher level of erosive tooth wear (worse outcome) | Single reading of wear of the teeth at the appointment date. Examination of wear takes 5 minutes |