The Academy of General Dentistry (
AGD) recently published a
case study
comparing the consumption of illegal drugs to the abusive intake of
soda. Now before you panic and stop drinking your sodas altogether, the
distinction here is abusive intake of soda. They categorize abusive
soda intake as 2 liters of soda a day for 3 to 5 years.
They found that abusive soda intake is just as destructive to your teeth
as methamphetamine use or crack cocaine use. Each participant in this
study admitted to having poor oral hygiene and not
visiting a dentist on a regular basis. Researchers found the same type
and severity of damage from tooth erosion in each participant’s mouth.
“Each person experienced severe tooth erosion caused by the high acid levels present in their ‘drug’ of choice—meth, crack, or soda,” says Mohamed A. Bassiouny, DMD, MSc, PhD, lead author of the study.
“The citric acid present in both regular and diet soda is known to
have a high potential for causing tooth erosion,” says Dr. Bassiouny.
As the release states, similar to citric acid, the ingredients used
in preparing methamphetamine can include extremely corrosive materials,
such as battery acid, lantern fuel, and drain cleaner. Crack cocaine is
highly acidic in nature, as well.
The individual who abused soda consumed two liters of diet soda daily
for three to five years. Says Dr. Bassiouny, “The striking similarities
found in this study should be a wake-up call to consumers who think
that soda—even diet soda—is not harmful to their oral health.”
AGD Spokesperson Eugene Antenucci, DDS, FAGD, recommends that his
patients minimize their intake of soda and drink more water.
Additionally, he advises them to either chew sugar- free gum or rinse
the mouth with water following consumption of soda. “Both tactics
increase saliva flow, which naturally helps to return the acidity levels
in the mouth to normal,” he says.
