Dentistry Today: Vegetable Cooking Linked to Tooth Decay
Ratatouille
BBC News: Veg cooking linked to tooth decay
Cooking vegetables in different ways could cut down on tooth decay, scientists have claimed.
Certain methods of cooking them can make vegetables as acidic as fizzy drinks, according to a new study.
Researchers at Dundee’s dental school made the discovery while experimenting with the vegetarian dish ratatouille.
They found that, compared with stewing, oven-roasting significantly increased the acidity of vegetables such as green peppers, aubergines and courgettes.
Dr Graham Chadwick, who led the study, said its findings could be used by dentists when advising patients on ways to fight dental erosion.
The problem is caused by the direct contact of acid with the teeth, which destroys tooth tissues – leading to the need for expensive dental treatment.
Yes and the effects can be quite devastating.
Acidic foods and sugar which bacteria metabolize to acid are to be avoided for a healthy dentition.
The Daily Mail:Roast veggies ‘as bad for teeth as fizzy drinks’
Lead researcher Dr Chadwick said: “The acidity of ratatouille prepared by oven-roasting is the same as that of some carbonated drinks that, when consumed in excess, are believed to contribute to the development of dental erosion.”
However, they found the cooking method had no impact on the acidity of tomatoes or onions.
The Dundee team’s research was based on reports that people on a vegetarian diet may be more at risk from dental erosion because such a large quantity of the foods they eat, such as fruits and vegetables, tend to be quite acidic in nature.
The research is published in the current edition of the European Journal of Prosthodontics and Restorative Dentistry.
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