Posted on: December 29, 2011

Sweets and Sour Bad For Children's Teeth

Sour candies as acidic as battery acid pose real risks for kids’ dental health

By Dawn Klingensmith
CTW Features

Peering into kids’ mouths every day, pediatric dentist Robyn Loewen, Rochester, Minn., has noticed an alarmingly widespread problem of late. Something is eating away at the chewing surfaces of children’s back teeth.

Turns out, it’s worms – gummy worms, that is – along with assorted other sweet-and-sour candies, some of which are almost as acidic as battery acid.

Initially, Loewen was confused because the erosion patterns she was encountering were not consistent with damage from soda pop or other known enamel eaters.

“As a dentist and a mother, I began to suspect that sour candy was a contributing factor,” she says, “since I knew that the sour flavoring was from citric acid and other dietary acids, and my own children and their friends seemed to choose sour candy such as Skittles and Starburst over traditional sweets like chocolate and caramel.”

Confirming her suspicions, Loewen came across the research of Dr. John Ruby, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Alabama, Birmingham, who measured pH levels of many types of sour candy. The extremely low pH levels, combined with frequent, prolonged sucking or chewing, equates to an aggressive, sustained attack on tooth enamel.

Sour candies are strong enough to completely and irreversibly dissolve enamel, leading to tooth sensitivity, discoloration and decay. Some formulations are so acidic that their labels carry warnings about potential soft-tissue irritation to the gums and inner cheeks.

Children are more vulnerable than adults because their teeth are still mineralizing and hardening. “Until this maturing process is complete, the teeth are softer and more porous, and more susceptible to the destructive effects of acid erosion,” Loewen says.

Loewen and Ruby – along with Dr. Robert Marolt, Marolt Dentistry, White Bear Lake, Minn. – co-wrote an article last spring based on Ruby’s findings for Northwest Dentistry, the journal of the Minnesota Dental Association. Their findings also were summarized in AGD Impact, the Academy of General Dentistry’s news magazine.

The Minnesota Dental Association then launched a public awareness campaign called “The Power of Sour on Your Teeth.”

Other foods and beverages unleash an acid attack on teeth, as well. The list of offenders includes citrus juices, soda pop, sports drinks, tomato products, pickled foods and Vitamin C tablets.

Eliminating or decreasing consumption of acidic foods is the first line of defense; however, folks who can’t resist chomping the heads off sour gummy worms can lessen the effects by rinsing with water, drinking milk or eating cheese immediately afterward to neutralize the acidity. Chewing sugar-free gum also helps because it stimulates the production of saliva, which dissolves acid and protects tooth enamel.

Rushing to brush may seem like a good idea, but it’s not.

“Because the acid softens the enamel, brushing your teeth immediately after consuming acidic foods and drinks is not recommended,” Marolt says, “since brushing can damage the softened surface.”

pH levels (low = acidic)

(Loss of tooth enamel starts at pH levels of 4.)

Battery acid 1.0

WarHeads Sour Spray 1.6

Wonka Fun Dip Powder 1.8

Altoids Mango Sours 1.9

Now and Later Cherry Chew 1.9

Wonka Nerds Grape 2.0

Sour Skittles 2.2

Mentos Fruit Chew 2.4

Lemon Heads 2.4

Starburst 2.4

Wonka Laffy Taffy 2.5

Brach’s Gummy Bears 2.5

Skittles 2.5

Sour Punch Straws 2.5

Sweetarts 3.0

Spree 3.0

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