An apple is worse for your teeth than a fizzy drink

Eating apples can be up to four times more damaging to teeth than carbonated drinks, according to new research. 

Wine and lager also increase the risk of dental damage but pickled onions and grapefruit, which are consumed less frequently, do not.

‘It is not only about what we eat, but how we eat it,’ says Professor David Bartlett, head of prosthodontics at King’s College London Dental Institute, who led the study.

‘Doctors quite rightly say that eating apples is good, but if you eat them slowly the high acidity levels can damage your teeth. The drinks most often associated with dietary erosion, particularly cola, showed no increased risk.

The results emphasise that dietary advice should be targeted at strong acids rather than some of the commonly consumed soft drinks.’

In the new study, the researchers looked for links between tooth wear at several sites in the mouth, and diet in more than 1,000 men and women aged 18 to 30.

They looked for damage to the 2mm surface enamel of their teeth, and at the dentine, the main supporting structure of the tooth beneath the enamel, and compared it with diet. 

 


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