Tooth erosion is becoming an increasingly common dental problem among teenagers. The study aimed to determine risk factors for erosive lesions in young sports professionals. Participants were 155 students-102 physically active and 53 controls. The method included dental examination (including Basic Erosive Wear Examination) and a questionnaire concerning sports activity, dietary and hygienic habits. The sporting activity significantly correlated with erosive lesions (RSpearman = 0.344). The regression model incorporating the kind of sports activity, special diet and (non-)drinking water was statistically significant (p = 0.922 for the Hosmer-Lemeshow test) and strong enough to predict erosive lesions in young athletes (AUC = 0.758). Water sports professionals were almost 14 times more likely to suffer from erosive lesions than control students. Drinking water as the main beverage decreased the odds by about 70%. The graphical interpretation of multidimensional correspondence analysis confirms the predictive value of these factors. The kind of sports activity adjusted by the main beverage and a special diet was the best variable to predict erosive lesions among teenagers. Early proper diagnosis with defined risk factors leads to better prevention and successful treatment.
Keywords: adolescents; erosive lesion; physical activity.