Sugar-free drinks can cause dental erosion

The chemical mix of acids in sugar-free soft drinks and sports drinks can cause as much dental erosion as sugared sodas, according to researchers in Australia. Consumers should be made aware of this problem, they noted. Researchers from the University of Melbourne Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre tested eight sports drinks for their impact on tooth enamel. All but two of the drinks caused significant enamel surface loss and enamel surface softening. As a comparison, researchers also tested a major cola brand and bottled spring water. While the cola produced the highest amount of surface loss, both the cola and the majority of the sports drinks caused enamel hardness to decrease by 30% to 50%, the researchers found. They published their findings in a briefing paper  (November 26, 2015). More information can be found here.