Fluoride Consumption Linked to White Streaks and Splotches in Teeth - Compare Different Drinks With Tooth Erosion and Decay - Diet Coke OK

March 27th 2006

White Teeth

A new study indicates that there is a connection between fluoride intake and fluorosis of the permanent incisors. Fluorosis is characterized by white streaks or splotches on the teeth. Kids in the study, who are currently 10 to 13 years of age, were followed since birth. The Iowa Fluoride Study recorded food and beverage intakes multiple times throughout those years.

The well water and purchased beverages were analyzed for fluoride concentrations. When the kids were between 7.7 and 12 years of age, they had dental examinations, where researchers looked for evidence of fluorosis.

The researchers compared amounts of fluoride consumed and children with and without fluorosis in their permanent incisors. They found that 35% of the children had some evidence of dental fluorosis, most of which was mild.

The dietary records collected at 16 months of age showed that children with fluorosis had consumed slightly more 100% juice than had children without fluorosis. More importantly, children with fluorosis consumed more fluoride from their beverages than did children without fluorosis. At 6, 9, 12, 16, 24, and 36 months, children with fluorosis had higher fluoride intakes from all beverages than did children without fluorosis. At multiple ages, children with fluorosis had higher fluoride intakes from infant formulas and 100% juice than did children without fluorosis. Our results suggest that fluoride intake from beverages during infancy and early childhood can increase the risk of the child's developing fluorosis in permanent

Other researchers from the University of Iowa found that sugared beverages are playing a larger role in the diet of the American population. They compared the erosion caused by various sugared and un-sugared beverages using extracted teeth. After painting the teeth with nail polish, leaving a small “window” exposed, they soaked them in beverages for 25 hours. Then they sectioned the teeth into slices and viewed them through a microscope to measure erosion.

Gatorade® caused the most enamel erosion, followed by Red Bull® and Coke®, with Diet Coke® and apple juice exhibiting the least erosion. It was concluded that exposure of teeth to sugared beverages caused significant erosion of both the enamel and root surfaces, but it was not consistent between beverages, with some specific beverages causing more erosion than others.