Latest ADA media release - Dental Health Week

New research reveals too many Australians remain unaware that frequent consumption of sports drinks puts dental health at risk.

Active Australians across the country are unknowingly damaging their teeth, unaware of the dental health risks associated with excessive consumption of sports and intra-workout drinks. Research released today reveals that while one in three (35.1%)1 active adults drink sports or intra-workout drinks at least once a week when exercising, they are unaware that the amount of acid in these drinks can lead to teeth erosion in as little as five days of daily use. While saliva is a powerful natural defence mechanism against erosion, if teeth are exposed to the acids in sports drinks too often, saliva does not have enough time to repair the damage.

The research also found nearly half (46.1%)1 of active adults and parents of active children are unaware of the potential dental damage associated with the excessive consumption of these drinks. The research, commissioned by the Australian Dental Association (ADA) and conducted with 1,262 active Australians and parents of active children across Australia, has been released to mark ADA Dental Health Week (3 – 9 August). The findings demonstrate more needs to be done to educate Australians about dangers associated with regular consumption of sports and intra-workout drinks. In Australia, three in ten adults have untreated tooth decay5 and an alarming 50 per cent of children under the age of 12 have experienced untreated tooth decay in their permanent teeth.

“Over the last few decades, the oral health of Australians has started to deteriorate, and in particular we are seeing higher levels of dental disease than ever before,” said Dr Peter Alldritt, Dentist and Chair of the ADA’s Oral Health Committee.