Tooth wear has been recognized as an emerging dental problem among adolescents in the
developed countries. Many authors attributed this disease trend to the increased
consumption countries. Many authors attributed this disease trend to the increased
consumption of aciodic food, mainly carbonated beverages, associated with improving
socio-economic standards. However, there is paucity of information on tooth wear among
adolescents from developing countries. The study consisted of two components. A crosssectional school based study was conducted in order to determine prevalence, severity,
distribution and risk indicators of and awareness about tooth wear among the adolescents. A
total of 1200 17 year olds were selected from the schools in the Colombo district using a
two stage cluster sampling methods combined with probability proportional to size (PPS)
technique. Subjects were requested to complete a self-administered questionnaire on
potential risk indicators and knowledge about tooth wear. Prevalence of tooth wear was 22
percent, 14 percent only had tooth wear lesions confined to the enamel while 9 percent had
tooth wear lesions extending up to the dentine
Tooth wear has been recognized as an emerging dental problem among adolescents in the
developed countries. Many authors attributed this disease trend to the increased
consumption countries. Many authors attributed this disease trend to the increased
consumption of aciodic food, mainly carbonated beverages, associated with improving
socio-economic standards. However, there is paucity of information on tooth wear among
adolescents from developing countries. The study consisted of two components. A crosssectional school based study was conducted in order to determine prevalence, severity,
distribution and risk indicators of and awareness about tooth wear among the adolescents. A
total of 1200 17 year olds were selected from the schools in the Colombo district using a
two stage cluster sampling methods combined with probability proportional to size (PPS)
technique. Subjects were requested to complete a self-administered questionnaire on
potential risk indicators and knowledge about tooth wear. Prevalence of tooth wear was 22
percent, 14 percent only had tooth wear lesions confined to the enamel while 9 percent had
tooth wear lesions extending up to the dentine
