Study: Diet soda as bad for teeth as meth, crack
In the second grade my class did an experiment where we put a tooth in a cup of soda for a month to see what happens. Needless to say, the results were disgusting.
A new study out of Philadelphia’s Kornberg School of Dentistry and Temple University conducted a similar experiment. The study compared the teeth of three people: One was a woman in her early 30s who drank an extreme amount of diet soda; the second was a 29-year-old methamphetamine addict; the third was a 51-year-old who had used crack cocaine for 20 years.
All three people came from a similar socioeconomic background. According to the study, none of them had a consistent or adequate dental care habit.
The woman with the diet soda addition drank an average of two 2-liter bottles of diet soda a day for the last three to five years.
The researchers found major similarities in the three subjects: All showed identical erosion and enamel decay.
According to the results, the high levels of acid in soda, meth and crack caused the erosion. All three subjects had to have their teeth fully removed.
Studying only three people is a small sample and the results are extreme, but prove the similar qualities in all three substances.
The American Beverage Association also commented on the extreme cases of the study.
“The body of available science does not support that beverages are a unique factor in causing tooth decay or erosion,” the ABA said in a statement to HealthDaily.
Lessons learned here: Don’t do drugs, and brush your teeth. Also, don’t forget to floss.
Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant