Erosion of teeth due to tartaric acid dust.

Clinical descriptions of occupational dental erosion have been written by Berenzon (1931), Schour and Sarnat (1942), and by Lynch and Bell (1947). But dental erosion due to a dust does not appear to have been described. The present investigation originated in the observation of erosion of the upper incisor teeth of two dental patients, who thought that the destruction of their teeth was caused by their work. They mixed powders which, they understood, contained tartaric acid, and said that other girls were similarly affected. Observation in the factory showed that the atmosphere of the room in which these girls worked was indeed very dusty, and the problem was, therefore, to determine the composition of the dust and whether it affected the rest of the girls in the workshop.