Making soft drinks more tooth friendly

4 Making soft drinks more tooth friendly 

The beneficial protective effects of fluoride are obviously only available to those who use it and recent studies have shown that there are substantial variations, both geographically and by social class, in rates of toothpaste use (Davies and Hawley, 1995). 

Dentists believe there is a strong case to formulate soft drinks to minimise the damage they could potentially cause to teeth. They have recently put forward proposals to reduce their erosivity and cariogenic properties and these are  

Practical steps against caries. Sugar-free drinks are widely available and are targeted at all age ranges rather than just at slimmers (a reduction in sugar content would have little effect it is its total absence that is necessary). 

It has been shown that the titratable acidity of a drink is a better indicator of its erosivity than its pH (Grenby et al., 1989). However, to significantly reduce acidity would have a much greater effect on the character of a drink than would buffering it to a modestly higher pH. 

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