Nutrition -- Energy and Sports Drinks Attack Enamel
Article courtesy of the Academy of General Dentistry
Sports beverages and energy drinks appeal to people who maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, the same drinks that claim to recharge the body after a workout could cause more irreversible damage to teeth than soft drinks.
A study of the effects some of
these beverages had on enamel, appearing in the January/February
2005 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry's
(AGD) clinical, peer-reviewed journal, found that over time,
exposing dental enamel to bottled lemonades, energy drinks and
sports drinks can do more harm to tooth enamel than soft
drinks.
"This study revealed that the enamel damage
caused by non-cola and sports beverages was three to 11 times
greater than cola-based drinks, with energy drinks and bottled
lemonades causing the most harm to dental enamel," says J. Anthony
von Fraunhofer, FRSC, FADM, lead author, Professor of Biomaterials
Science at the University of Maryland Dental School. "A
previous study in the July/August issue of General Dentistry
demonstrated that non-cola and canned iced teas can more
aggressively harm dental enamel than cola."
Most soft drinks contain one or more food
additives. These acids cause tooth enamel to breakdown.
Phosphoric and citric acid are the most common but malic and
tartaric acids are sometimes present.
Drinking the beverages does not
automatically mean a mouth full of cavities. There are ways
to minimize the harmful effects, says Dr. von Fraunhofer.
"The major problem with any of these drinks
is not chugging it down, it's sipping continuously over a long
period," says Dr. von Fraunhofer. "Sitting and sipping on
these drinks throughout the day can do terrible things to your
teeth."
The study continuously exposed enamel from
cavity-free molars and premolars to a variety of popular sports
beverages, including energy drinks, fitness water and sports
drinks, as well as non-cola beverages such as lemonade and ice tea
for a period of 14 days (336 hours). The exposure time was
comparable to approximately 13 years of normal beverage
consumption.
The study findings revealed there was
significant enamel damage associated with all beverages tested.
Results, listed from greatest to least damage to dental
enamel, include the following: lemonade, energy drinks, sports
drinks, fitness water, ice tea and cola. Most cola-based
drinks may contain one or more acids, commonly phosphoric and
citric acids; however, sports beverages contain other additives and
organic acids that can advance dental erosion. These organic
acids are potentially very erosive to dental enamel because of
their ability to breakdown calcium, which is needed to strengthen
teeth and prevent gum disease.
AGD spokesperson and President-Elect Bruce
DeGinder, DDS, MAGD, agrees that it is healthier to drink a soft
drink all at once rather than sipping for a long period of
time.