Originally published April 11 2005
Tooth enamel study flawed, say critics
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A study by researchers at the University of Maryland and an Air Force dentist that found a strong link between destruction of tooth enamel and consumption of sports and energy drinks has come under fire from critics. The study used extracted human teeth and submerged them in a variety of canned and bottled drinks, and found that drinks such as Red Bull and lemonade were highly destructive to enamel. Critics in the beverage industry say that the study used an "elementary and archaic" design, noting that people do not keep liquids in their mouths for days at a time. A spokesman from Coca-Cola said that in the mouth, saliva acts as a buffer that contains calcium and fluoride, a protection that was absent from the submerged teeth in the study.
In other words, these energy drink manufacturers are saying that these caustic drinks are safe because people swallow the liquids before they can do any real damage to tooth enamel.
Some popular flavored sports and energy drinks destroy tooth enamel more effectively than cola drinks and other sodas, and at least one brand of bottled lemonade may be among the most destructive, a study has found.
Dr. J. Anthony von Fraunhofer, a professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore Dental School and Dr. Matthew Rogers, an Air Force dentist, exposed dental enamel from extracted teeth to 12 different brands of soft drinks, including colas and other carbonated sodas, iced teas, lemonade and energy and sports drinks.
They immersed cavity-free sterilized teeth that had been extracted for orthodontic or periodontal reasons in each of the canned and bottled drinks for 14 days, weighing and measuring the teeth at regular intervals to determine the amount of enamel dissolved.
This is an exposure time the authors calculate as equivalent to 13 years of normal beverage consumption, a period they describe as a realistic one for evaluating enamel wear in children and young adults.
Their study, published in the March issue of General Dentistry, found that the most caustic beverage was KMX Energy Drink, followed closely by Snapple Classic Lemonade, Red Bull Energy Drink, and lemon-lime Gatorade.
Carbonation, the authors say, is not an important factor in dental erosion.
"Nobody retains any kind of liquid in their mouth 24 hours a day for 14 days.
And I think it's irresponsible to blame food, beverage, or any single factor for enamel loss or tooth decay.
Among energy drinks tested were Powerade Arctic Shatter, made by Coca-Cola, and Propel Fitness Water, made by Gatorade.
Calcium chelation, the chemical binding of calcium in the enamel with substances in the beverage, may also play a role.
Dr. von Fraunhofer says that continually maintaining a high acid level in the mouth is destructive.
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