Dental News
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a warning to parents about sports and energy drink consumption being bad for children because ingredients in these flavored drinks that can contribute to tooth decay and lead to a variety of other health problems.
The AAP findings, published in the June issue of Pediatrics, stated that dental erosion from sports and energy drinks are 'of concern' in children and adolescents, and pointed to a common ingredient 'citric acid' that is 'highly erosive' because it continues to eat away at tooth enamel even after a drink containing citric acid has been consumed.
The high carbohydrate content of these drinks can also hasten tooth decay, which affects five times more children than asthma and has been called a 'silent epidemic' by the U.S. Surgeon General. Tooth decay is twice as prevalent among children from low-income families than among their more affluent peers, raising concerns that the increase in sports drink consumption will disproportionately affect at-risk children.
"Many of the children we treat are suffering from rampant tooth decay," said Dr. Anupama Rao Tate, a CSHM Advisory Board Member and Director of Oral Health Advocacy at Children’s National Medical Center. "Soda and sugary juice are already major obstacles in the fight for dental health in our communities. We must raise awareness among parents that certain sports and energy drinks have the potential to become another barrier between their children and they healthy smiles they deserve."
Chief among the AAP’s recommendations was that water, not sports or energy drinks, should be aggressively promoted as the principal source of hydration for children and adolescents.
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