Objectives: To evaluate, in vitro, the effect of low pH pediatric syrups on roughness and erosion of sound and artificially decayed bovine enamel. Methods: Seventy-four slabs of bovine teeth were prepared and fixed in an acrylic resin device exposing a polished enamel of 7,07 mm2. Enamel roughness was determined with a Surftest (Mitutoyo SJ-201) at three different sites of the enamel in order to obtain a mean value of roughness for each tooth. Half of these slabs were randomly chosen for production of early artificial caries (C, n=37), while the others remained sound (S, n=37). Afterwards, C group was submitted to another enamel roughness evaluation. Two slabs from each group were separated to be analyzed individually and the others were immersed in five different subgroups of pediatric syrups (PS) with low pH (below 5.0) for 40 minutes, as follows: PS I (pH= 3,99, n=14), PS II (pH=3,43, n=14), PS III (pH=2,72, n=14), PS IV (pH=2.64, n=14), and PS V (pH=4.28, n=14). Two slabs from each subgroup and the other four representing groups C and S before syrup immersion were prepared for SEM analysis. Student's paired t-test was used for statistical analysis at a significance level of 5%. Results: Regarding the qualitative analysis of the photomicrographies, all analyzed samples (either the sound or carious ones) immersed in the syrups showed clear erosion patterns. However, enamel roughness showed significant increase in group S only after slabs' immersion in PS I (p< 0.05) and PS IV (p< 0.05), and in group C, after immersion in PS III (p< 0.05) and PS IV (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Regarding the used methodology, low pH pediatric syrups were able to erode bovine enamel, although some of them did not come to significantly influence enamel roughness, independently of teeth condition (sound or carious).

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