The truth about sugar and your teeth
World Health Organisation (WHO) has been consulting on draft guidelines for sugar intake, which propose lowering the daily recommended intake to combat obesity and dental diseases. The WHO says that it is particularly concerned with the global increase in consumption of sugary drinks such as soft drinks and sports beverages.
According to the 2002 WHO guidelines, sugar should not exceed 10% of total daily energy intake. New draft guidelines suggest reducing this figure to 5%, which is around six teaspoons per day for the average adult. The role that “hidden” sweeteners play in obesity is highlighted, as well as how sugar can lead to dental disease.
WHO defines dental diseases as one of the most common non-communicable illnesses worldwide. Nearly 60% of 14-year-olds have tooth decay. In 2010-11, over 23,000 Australian children underwent dental treatment with general anesthesia. This was mostly to treat tooth decay.
Sweet tooth
Sugar is a food source for the bacteria living on the surface enamel of all teeth. This allows them to produce acid quickly, which dissolves tooth enamel. This process, also known as “demineralisation,” weakens tooth structure by causing mineral loss.
Frequent sugar consumption, combined with the failure to remove bacterial acid regularly and properly, will cause demineralization, resulting in cavities. It’s quite shocking to see how quickly sugar can damage teeth.
In experiments conducted in the lab with colleagues that have not been published, we gave teeth a dose of sucrose four times per day for ten minutes without any benefit of brushing our teeth or drinking water. In less than two weeks, the first cavities appeared. Cavities appeared sooner when sucrose was consumed more frequently.
Although we can treat tooth decay by fillings or removing teeth when necessary, these treatments do not eliminate the root cause. Too many removed or filled teeth can increase a person’s chances of developing future oral problems. For example, if teeth are missing and they cannot eat properly, this may lead to a need for complex fillings.
Drinks and foods that cause tooth decay
The majority of Australians are aware of how to prevent dental caries. Sugar is bad for your teeth, and brushing them is good. People are not generally well-informed about the sugar content in their food and drinks.
Some sources of sweeteners are more obvious than others. Alison Clarke/Flickr CC-BY-NC SA
Many people are unaware that the drinks they think are healthy can actually be harmful to their dental health. Scientists found that when comparing the cavity-creating potential between a variety of soymilks and cows’ milk, the former produced acid at a rate five to six times greater than cow milk.
Soft drinks and sports beverages can contain food acids, such as citric and phosphoric acid. These acids can cause tooth enamel erosion when consumed regularly. Sugar-free sports and soft drinks also contain these food acids, which can cause tooth enamel erosion when consumed frequently.
Water is often substituted for sweetened beverages, which compounds the problem. Water is better for your mouth because it washes away acids, liquids, and sugar.
Most bottled water contains only low amounts of fluoride.
Not normal
Oral disease may be viewed as inevitable by the public due to its prevalence. This is not true. The Australian economy loses 8.4 billion dollars a year because of dental treatment.
The number of teeth lost measures costs to individuals, the inability to maintain healthy eating habits into old age, and the social stigma and embarrassment that poor teeth cause.
It is not only up to the individual to stop this. Is considering legislation in California that would require warning labels to be placed on sugary beverages. The proposed bill would require drinks that contain added sweeteners above a certain amount to be labeled.
