MIAMI, Apr 6, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Sipping on sports drinks all day may
provide an energy boost, but can also result in tooth erosion and
hypersensitivity, U.S. researchers said.
New York University dental researchers found that prolonged consumption of
sports drinks may be linked to a condition known as erosive tooth wear, in which
acids eat away the tooth's smooth hard enamel coating and trickle into the
bonelike material underneath, causing the tooth to soften and weaken.
The condition affects 1 in 15 Americans and can result in severe tooth damage
and even tooth loss if left untreated, the researchers said.
"This is the first time that the citric acid in sports drinks has been linked to
erosive tooth wear," study leader Dr. Mark Wolff of the New York University
College of Dentistry said in a statement.
The researchers split cow teeth -- used because of their close resemblance to
human teeth -- and immersed one-half of the specimens in a sports drink, the
other half in water, then compared the two halves. They said they discovered
that the one exposed to the sports drink displayed a significant amount of
erosion and softening.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the International
Association for Dental Research in Miami.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International