Dentists say sugar free drinks and lollies still bad for teeth

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Dentists say sugar free drinks and lollies still bad for teeth

By Marc Moncrief

Acids in sugar-free drinks and lollies are eating our teeth so aggressively they are just as bad for dental health as sugared alternatives, new research shows.

Scientists at the University of Melbourne tested 23 different types of drinks and found those high in acids like citric and phosphoric acids caused "measurable damage to dental enamel", even if they were sugar-free.

New research shows the acid in sugar-free foods are damaging our teeth.

New research shows the acid in sugar-free foods are damaging our teeth.

"Many people are not aware that while reducing your sugar intake does reduce your risk of dental decay, the chemical mix of acids in some foods and drinks can cause the equally damaging condition of dental erosion," said Eric Reynolds, CEO of the university's Oral Health Co-operative Research Centre.

A spokesman for the Australian Beverages Council, which speaks for large producers of non-alcoholic beverages, could not be reached.

Tooth problems caused by acid are different from those caused by sugar. Sugar hurts teeth by feeding bacteria in the mouth. When these bacteria eat the sugar, they produce acid, which eats away at the tooth enamel.

Drinking high-acid drinks simply cuts out the middle man. Rather than bacteria generating acid, the teeth are swimming in acid. Instead of cavities developing in spots of high bacterial concentration, the tooth is eroded across its whole surface.

In severe cases, erosion can expose the soft pulp of the tooth. Eroded teeth are also more susceptible to cavities because bacteria can penetrate more deeply into the tooth, Professor Reynolds said.

"We have tended to focus on sugar," Professor Reynolds said. "The food industry has adapted to that by making sugar free variants, but I'm just not convinced that those sugar free variants are good for you. They're certainly not good for your teeth."

A report on the issue released this week by the Oral Health CRC suggests drinking water between meals and limiting soft drinks, sports drinks and fruit juices to improve dental health.

Professor Reynolds said that, while fruit and fruit drinks do contain some of the same damaging compounds as soft drinks, "we just don't see the same level of destruction" as from fruit drinks.

He said this could be because people who drink soft drinks tend to drink them frequently -- more frequently than those who eat fruit or drink fruit juice consume those things.

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