Dental News - Diet not solely to blame for tooth erosion

Dental Tribune International

Mon. 26. February 2018

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LONDON, UK: Together with dental caries and periodontal disease, dental erosion ranks among the top three most prevalent dental conditions. According to a review paper by researchers in London, the reason some people suffer more from erosive tooth wear than others depends not only on their diet, but also on how they consume acidic beverages and foods.

The researchers, from King’s College London Dental Institute, aimed to identify how different behaviours increased the risk of developing severe tooth erosion. Their research drew on a previous study at Guy’s Hospital in London that compared the diet of 300 people with severe erosive tooth wear and of 300 people without.

The Dental Institute researchers found that those most affected were not those that simply consumed acidic drinks or food, but those who did so between meals. People who drank acidic drinks like soft drinks or fruit-flavoured teas twice a day were 11 times more likely to have moderate or severe erosion compared with those who did not.

Among the groups with high potential for tooth erosion are wine drinkers, long-distance drivers and video gamers, all of whom continually expose their teeth to acidic drinks by swishing or rinsing the liquid around or holding it in their mouths, the researchers said.

“It is well known that an acidic diet is associated with erosive tooth wear; however, our study has shown the impact of the way in which acidic food and drinks are consumed,” said lead author of the study Dr Saoirse O’Toole, clinical lecturer in prosthodontics.

She continued that, with the prevalence of erosive tooth wear increasing, the preventable aspects, such as reducing dietary acid intake for the purpose of delaying progression of tooth erosion, have to be addressed. The risk from soft drinks, for example, can be halved when such beverages are consumed during meals.

“While behaviour change can be difficult to achieve, specific, targeted behavioural interventions may prove successful,” O’Toole added.

In countries like the UK, currently over 30 per cent of adults are estimated to suffer from tooth erosion, which can lead to severe loss of enamel and dentine over time.

The study, titled “The role of the diet in tooth wear”, was published online in the British Dental Journal on 23 February 2018.

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