title: Erosive potential of soft drinks on human enamel: an in vitro study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Most soft drinks are acidic in nature. Regular consumption of these drinks may result in dental erosion. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the erosive potential of different soft drinks in Taiwan by a novel multiple erosive method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four commercially available soft drinks in Taiwan were selected for this study. The properties of each product were analyzed to measure their pH, titratable acidity, and ion contents. The erosive potential of the soft drinks was measured based on the amount of loss of human enamel surface following its exposure to the soft drinks tested for different periods (20 minutes, 60 minutes, and 180 minutes). The enamel loss was measured using a confocal laser scanning microscope.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pH values of the soft drinks were below the critical pH value (5.5) for enamel demineralization, and ranged from 2.42 to 3.46. The drink with ingredients of citric acid and ascorbic acid had the highest titratable acidity (33.96 mmol OH(-)/L to pH 5.5 and 71.9 mmol OH(-)/L to pH 7). Exposure to all the soft drinks resulted in loss of human enamel surface (7.28-34.07 μm for 180-minute exposure). The beverage with the highest calcium content had the lowest erosive potential.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All tested soft drinks were found to be erosive. Soft drinks with high calcium contents have significantly lower erosive potential. Low pH value and high citrate content may cause more surface enamel loss. As the erosive time increased, the titratable acidity to pH 7 may be a predictor of the erosive potential for acidic soft drinks. The erosive potential of the soft drinks may be predicted based on the types of acid content, pH value, titratable acidity, and ion concentration.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yin-Lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Chieh
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hao-Hueng
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Chih
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yueh-Chiao
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiao-Hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Guay-Fen
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yunn-Shiuan
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Dentistry, School of Dentistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: pinlin@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Chun-Pin
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000143:Acids / Q000009:adverse effects; D002253:Carbonated Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003743:Dental Enamel; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D013624:Taiwan; D014077:Tooth Erosion / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D000143:Acids
keywords: confocal laser scanning microscope; dental erosion; enamel; soft drink