Sugar-sweetened sodas or carbonated drinks have long been known as the culprit of multiple health conditions, especially dental erosion. New research shows that unsweetened sparkling water can serve as an alternative to carbonated drinks, reducing the burden of dental erosion and other life-threatening health conditions.
What is erosion and how is it caused?
Erosion is the chemical dissolution of the tooth structure caused by the frequent exposure of intrinsic or extrinsic acids. It is a significant oral health problem and has a global prevalence of 30-40% in adults and 30-50% in children.
One of the major causes of dental erosion is the consumption of carbonated drinks, primarily due to their erosive potential. These sweetened sodas contain carbon dioxide and other added sugars, which act on the enamel crystals and cause acid wear; ultimately weakening the tooth structure.
What exactly is soda water and sparkling water?
Sweetened soda contains high amounts of sugar, calories, and artificial additives, whereas plain sparkling water contains only water and carbon dioxide with zero calories or sugar.
Key Differences
Ingredients: Sweetened soda has carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup or sugar, phosphoric acid, caffeine, and artificial colors. Sparkling water has just water and carbon dioxide, sometimes with natural fruit extracts.
Nutrition: Regular soda has roughly 35 to 40 grams of sugar and over 140 calories per can. Plain sparkling water has zero calories, zero sugar, and no caffeine.
Health Effects: Regular soda links to weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and tooth enamel damage due to high sugar and acid. Sparkling water offers the same hydration as regular still water without these health risks.
Taste Profile: Soda provides an intense, sweet, and immediate reward sensation. Sparkling water has a clean, subtle, and neutral bubble profile.
What did the researchers do?
It is widely known that carbonated drinks can lower the oral salivary pH below the critical value of 5.5 when consumed frequently. But the question is, how does unsweetened sparkling water affect the oral pH?
To answer this question, scientists compared the effects of the beverages, i.e., sugar-sweetened soda, unsweetened sparkling waters (with calcium and without calcium), and plain water, on the salivary pH in vivo and in vitro; during and after beverage consumption.
Unsweetened sparkling water vs. sugar-sweetened soda:
The in vitro results showed the lowest salivary pH for soda and the highest for unsweetened sparkling water and plain water. The in vivo results were similar to the in vitro results. They revealed that the sugar-sweetened soda induced the lowest salivary pH (significantly lower than water at 2 and 20 min), and the unsweetened sparkling water (without calcium) demonstrated a lower salivary pH than water only at 2 min. Both types of sparkling water caused the salivary pH to return to its starting point within approximately 20 minutes.
These results indicate that unsweetened sparkling water has the capability of maintaining the normal salivary pH and reducing the detrimental acidic effect on the tooth structure.
Future implementation and limitations:
While this discovery does highlight its beneficial effects when compared with potentially erosive carbonated drinks, the researchers only explored the short-term effects of the unsweetened sparkling water and were unable to determine the long-term effects of the beverage on the sound tooth structure and the gums. Nonetheless, these positive results do provide the beverage industry a chance to reevaluate their formulas and possibly introduce unsweetened sparkling water in their reformulated drinks, providing consumers with the desired fizz alongside reduced erosive and damaging effects on oral health.