Dental erosion clinical diagnosis and case history taking

Dental erosion is not a very rare condition. Early correct diagnosis of this damage of dental hard tissue consequently is of clinical importance. The aim of this paper is to present an easy-to-learn rating scheme for the assessment of the severity of dental erosive lesions with high inter- and intra-examiner agreement. It differentiates between facial, occlusal and oral surfaces of a tooth and has already been used successfully in epidemiological studies. Further, anamnestic risk factors are discussed with respect to their relevance for the development of dental erosion. Guidelines are given for the clinician on how to elicit information from the patient about relevant risk factors.