Erosive Tooth Wear Education

Erosive tooth wear (ETW) is common in European populations. A recent study of seven European Countries, found that 97.6 % of participants had some signs of ETW and 72.1 % had moderate or severe ETW signs¹. Concurrently, there is an emerging picture of the international experience of dissemination of ETW research into educational methods. A recent survey by the Erosive Tooth Wear Foundation (https://www.erosivetoothwear.com/) revealed 53 % of UK Dental Schools were very familiar or familiar with International Guidance for teaching Erosive Tooth Wear. This included the Core Cariology Curriculum developed jointly by ORCA and ADEE in 2010. Dental educators have high levels of expectation for students to be familiar with screening and risk assessment of ETW: 92 % of UK dental schools expected students to be familiar with the BEWE screening tool. The BEWE screening tool is gaining significant traction in usage amongst dental professionals in the UK and is used worldwide in epidemiological and research studies. The development of Erosive Tooth Wear Screening tools has been embedded into dental practice software in the UK and similar implementation into Dental Schools worldwide is being developed. This will drive adoption of screening and risk assessment in clinical practice. As the field of Education in Erosive Tooth Wear is actively and rapidly developing, this timely workshop will discuss challenges and successes with Erosive Tooth Wear education and will develop greater awareness of current education activities into the condition of Erosive Tooth Wear. 

¹West et al, Prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity, erosive tooth wear, gingival recession and periodontal health in seven European countries. Journal of Dentistry. Volume 150, November 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2024.105364