الفهرس 
AIM OF THE STUDYOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Dental erosion is clinically defined as the progressive and irreversible loss of dental hard tissue caused by a chemical process of acid dissolution that does not involve bacteria. According to recent studies, there is some evidence that the presence of dental erosion is steadily increasing.
Several factors have been linked to the development of the erosive process, such as aspects related to general health, medication, saliva properties, carbonated beverages and acidic food as well as occupational exposure to acidic environments. Most clinical research has focused on the impact of acidic diet and lifestyle.
Practicing swimming at competitive level put the swimmers at risk for dental erosion. Since they spent a considerable time in the swimming pool and they are exposed to low pH values in the pool water due to insufficient monitoring.
This study aimed to assess dental erosion risk level among a group of competitive swimmers in Alexandria, Egypt. Ninety competitive swimmers were recruited from four different sports clubs compared to ninety non-swimmers recruited from the rowing team in Alexandria International Rowing Course. All athletes underwent clinical examination using Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) System for recording the presence and severity of dental erosion. Afterwards, all participants were asked to provide saliva samples to assess the salivary pH and flow rate. Following the clinical examination and saliva collection, athletes were interviewed using the Dental Erosive Wear Risk assessment tool (DEWRA) regarding the most common risk factors related to dental erosion and eventually the overall risk status was determined. Finally the pH level of the four swimming pools was measured.Data were tabulated and descriptive statistics were performed with graphical presentation. Statistical analysis revealed that the highest dental erosion prevalence and severity was among the competitive swimmers. The risk level for the whole sample was detected and we found that the competitive swimmers were at higher risk than the non-swimmers.
Multivariate analysis was conducted. Based on its results, practicing swimming as a competitive athlete increases the odds for dental erosion. Moreover, consuming the acidic drinks such as carbonated drinks on daily basis was found to be a significant risk factor for erosive wear.
Based on the study, Swimming pools should be adequately monitored over the chlorine level to maintain the normal pH levels. Furthermore, competitive swimmers need a regular dental checkup for detecting the erosive wear lesions an early stage and consider preventive measures to protect their teeth against this destructive condition.