The present review aims to give an overview of the literature focusing on novel genetic aspects of dental erosion and dental caries. Once the tooth erupts into the oral cavity, the regenerative capability of enamel is fundamentally limited due to the loss of dental epithelium during eruption. The susceptibility or resistance to dental erosion and caries is presumably a result of environmental, phenotypic, and/or genetic influence. Even though it is evident that individuals frequently exposing their teeth to acid and sugar are at high risk of developing dental erosion and caries, the findings exclusively based on these factors are elusive.

Dental erosive wear is a multifactorial condition of high prevalence. Nowadays, there is an emphasis on discovering individual genetic predisposition for the development of this condition. Aquaporins (AQPs) are water channel proteins expressed in salivary glands, as well as during tooth development. They are involved in salivary secretion and composition and linked to physiological protection of the oral cavity.
The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between different dental erosive wear phenotypes, AQP genes, and selected environmental factors.

To our knowledge, this is the first study to separate patients into more discrete groups based on dental caries experience defined from longitudinal data and the first to study acute increases in DMFT score between two time points. Our hope with doing so is to provide more power in our predictions of genetic influences of dental caries and perhaps lead to better ways of studying the disease based on more specific categorizations of phenotypes.

Resin-based dental restorative materials contain allergenic methacrylate monomers, which may be released into saliva after restorative treatment. Monomers from resin-based composite materials have been demonstrated in saliva in vitro; however, studies analyzing saliva after restorative therapy are scarce. The aim of this study was to quantify methacrylate monomers in saliva after treatment with a resin-based composite filling material.

Resin-modified glass ionomer fillings are commonly used in pediatric dentistry. We have investigated possible exposure of monomers from such materials in vivo. Saliva was collected at three time points, pre-treatment, immediately after placement, and one week post-placement, from 20 patients aged seven to ten that had their first resin-based glass ionomer filling placed.