Aim

Determine the relation between dental erosion and the consumption of the refreshing drinks in schoolchildren from 12 to 16 years of Juan Velasco Alvarado Educational Center, from Pillco Marca district, Peru.

Materials and methods

An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 135 children from 12 to 16 years of age. From all the medical records available, the final selection included the ones that had data on demographic variables, the assessment of the type of dental erosion according to the Eccles classification and that had answered the survey on the consumption of refreshing drinks (soft drinks, rehydrating drinks and juices). To evaluate the association between the variables, the chi-square test was applied; the established significance level was p<0.05.

Results

The frequency of dental erosion in schoolchildren was 54.1%. 3.7% consumed refreshing drinks 3 to 5 times a week, 45.9% consumed 2 times a week, and 50.4% did not consume or consumed less than 2 times a week. The soft drinks most frequently consumed were Coca-Cola (20.7%) and Kola Real (20%). 43.7% did not ingest any type of soft drink. An association was found between dental erosion and the intake of refreshing drinks (chi-square 84.77, p<0.05), with an intake of at least twice a week (chi-square 62.589, p<0.05). Dental erosion was more frequent in those students who ingested both soft drinks and rehydrating drinks in their diet, compared to only soft drinks or only rehydrating drinks (p=0.048).

Conclusions

Refreshing drinks turned out to be harmful in relation to dental erosion, when these drinks are taken at least twice a week.