Dentists have long recognized the link between good oral health and sound nutrition. For years, the American Dental Association has recommended that children and adults limit eating and drinking between meals and, when they must snack, give preference to nutritious foods identified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s, or USDA’s, dietary guidelines. Think about the human body as a complex machine that needs daily attention if it is to run well. Without exercise and a balanced diet, it doesn’t get the fuel it needs to perform efficiently or effectively. And it may be less able to ward off disease or infection. The foods we choose as fuel generally affect our overall health, including our teeth and gums. Health and nutrition experts recommend following the USDA’s Food Guide Pyramid.
Eating patterns and food choices among children and teens are important factors that affect how quickly youngsters may develop tooth decay. The reason is a sticky film of bacteria, called “plaque,” that constantly forms on the teeth and gums.
Each and every time bacteria come in contact with sugar or starch in the mouth, acid is produced, which attacks the teeth for 20 minutes or more. This eventually can result in tooth decay. The USDA’s Dietary Guidelines encourage consumers to limit intake of beverages and foods high in added sugars that may crowd out other healthy foods from their daily diet. The agency identifies soft drinks as a major source of added sugar.
Americans drank more than 53 gallons of soft drinks—per person—in 2000. This amount surpassed all other beverages, including milk, beer, coffee and water. One of every four beverages consumed in America today is a soft drink, and it is clear that soft drinks have displaced nutritious beverages and foods from the diet.
Most soft drinks contain phosphoric acid and citric acid. Prolonged exposure to acids can do permanent damage to teeth by producing a condition called “erosion,” or the loss of hard tissues from the tooth surface. It is widely accepted that acid in food and beverages plays a major role in the development of enamel erosion. Diet soft drinks rely on nonnutritive sweeteners instead of sugar. They also are acidic and may increase the risk of experiencing enamel erosion, although the research on the role of soft drinks and tooth erosion is preliminary.
