Incisor teeth status in patients with reflux oesophagitis.

A retrospective non-controlled inventory study was done in order to assess the dental status, with specific attention paid to the incisor teeth, in patients with reflux oesophagitis. A questionnaire was sent to 293 consecutive patients in whom reflux oesophagitis was diagnosed endoscopically. A complete dental prosthesis was present in 46.8% of the patients, the remainder had a complete set of teeth or a partial dental prosthesis. Damage in the upper incisors was present in 32.5% of the cases, in the lower incisors in 7.8%, and in both in 26.9%. In the remainder no damage was present. No complaints were significantly associated with the presence or absence of dental damage. There was, however, a significant association between duration of complaints and presence of damage in the upper incisors. Although it is not certain that all cases of damage actually are the result of gastro-oesophageal reflux, and the data presented possibly overestimate the true prevalence, dental erosions as a complication of gastro-oesophageal reflux are likely to occur in a large number of patients.