Health crisis revealed as children’s teeth are eroded by fizzy drink acid
SHOCKING evidence of the widespread deterioration of children’s teeth has been found by government scientists, who believe fizzy drinks may be to blame. Half of five-year-olds and a third of young teenagers show signs of dissolving teeth, apparently caused by the acid in the drinks.
The full extent of the damage has been revealed by investigations into 1,400 pre-school toddlers and 17,000 schoolchildren aged 5-15.
Researchers found that one in 10 toddlers suffered severely. In schoolchildren the problem was even worse. About half of five- and six-year-olds had some dental erosion, and in half these there was extensive damage to the inner pulp of the tooth. A quarter of children over 11 had eroded teeth.
The phenomenon is so widespread that the government is to question children about their consumption of soft drinks to determine whether the acid in colas, fruit juices and other fizzy drinks is responsible. The Department of Health is to prepare a detailed questionnaire for use in a survey of 1,500 children aged 5-18 this year.
The findings contradict the widely held assumption that dental health in Britain is improving. Although dentists have reported a decline in tooth decay, many say the incidence of erosion, where the outer enamel dissolves, making the teeth sensitive and brittle, has recently increased sharply.
Roy Patel, a dentist in Newbury, Berkshire, said about three-quarters of the children he saw aged 9-14 had acid erosion, which he attributed to fizzy drinks. “It’s been getting worse for seven or eight years because drinks are accessible everywhere,” he said.
Stephen Hopson, an orthodontist in London and Newbury, said many of the children he fitted with braces suffered erosion around the metal straps. Hopson blames acidic soft drinks.
June Nunn, a senior lecturer in dentistry at Newcastle upon Tyne University, said the teeth of afflicted children became sensitized to cold and highly flavored foods and were more likely to be chipped and fractured.
The British soft drink market, worth Pounds 6 billion a year, has grown by a third in five years and children make two-thirds of the purchases. Most schools have vending machines.
Linda Shaw, senior lecturer in pediatric dentistry at Birmingham University, said: “There are significant differences between people who drink large quantities of fizzy drinks as far as their levels of erosion are concerned.”
She said more children drank soft drinks rather than milk or water and many sipped drinks throughout the day and even during the night, greatly increasing the erosion risk. Shaw has analyzed acidity levels of soft drinks and found they are easily capable of dissolving teeth.
Manufacturers are aware of the problem and will try to minimize the damage. Some are understood to be looking at the formulation of their products to reduce acidity.
The British Soft Drinks Association said a range of acids was present naturally in many fruit drinks but sometimes acid was added for flavor. The association said sipping over a number of hours and swilling drinks in the mouth rather than swallowing immediately could be the cause of any problem.
Coca-Cola said it had no plans to alter its brands. “We don’t believe anecdote is enough for a public health policy, which is why we’re supporting more research,” said Ian Muir, a spokesman.
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