Sports drinks found to be corrosive of teeth

Saturday April 25, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Sports drinks can lead to the erosion or softening of tooth enamel at worst, staining and hypersensitivity of the teeth at best, if consumed too frequently, according to a study conducted by New York University’s School of Dentistry.

Dr. Mark Wolff, who presented the findings at the International Association for Dental Research, stated that the intuitive response to the problem, brushing your teeth immediately after drinking them, only exacerbates the problem. The softened enamel is especially vulnerable to the abrasive compounds in toothpaste.

For the study, researchers used the teeth of calves, which resemble human teeth. They soaked half of the teeth in one of five sports drinks Powerade, Gatorade, Life Water, Vitamin Water and Propel Fit for 75-90 minutes; the other half, they soaked in water.

The teeth soaked in the sports drinks had dozens of "clearly visible" holes in them, while the teeth soaked in water were not damaged at all, according to Mercola.com.

The test results have the American Beverage Association on the defensive. Spokesman Craig Stevens dismissed the study method , saying that drinking a sports drink, which passes through the mouth quickly, is altogether different from soaking your teeth in it. The procedures, he asserted in an article for WebMD, do not mimic "real life".

Still, Dr. Wolff maintains that consumers should err on the side of caution by adhering to the following suggestions:

• Drink the beverages in moderation;
• Wait at least thirty minutes before brushing your teeth after consumption;
• Ask your dentist for an acid reducing, re-mineralizing toothpaste to protect your teeth from the citric acid prevalent in the drinks.

(By Rachel Stockton, and edited by Heather Kelley)