Dr Kent Cosmetic Dentist Virginia Beach & Norfolk

Added Sugar in Raisin Cereals Increases Acidity of Dental Plaque
As Cosmetic dentists in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, a number of clients that come to Partners In Dental Health inquire about sugar and cavities. Elevated dental plaque acid is a risk component that plays a role in cavities in children. But eating bran flakes with raisins containing no added sugar doesn't promote more acid in dental plaque than bran flakes alone, as outlined by new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Some dentists believe sweet, sticky foods including raisins cause cavities because they are difficult to clear off the tooth surfaces, said Christine Wu, professor and director of cariology research at UIC and lead investigator of the study.
But research indicates that raisins are rapidly cleared from the surface of the teeth just like apples, bananas and chocolate, she said.
While in the study, published in the journal Pediatric Dentistry, children ages 7 to 11 compared four food groups - raisins, bran flakes, commercially marketed raisin bran cereal, and a mix of bran flakes with raisins lacking any added sugar.
Sucrose, or table sugar, and sorbitol, a sugar substitute often used in diet foods, were also tested as controls.
Children chewed and swallowed the test foods within two minutes. The acid produced by the plaque bacteria on the surface of their teeth was measured at intervals.
All test foods except the sorbitol solution promoted acid production in dental plaque over Half an hour, with the largest production between 10 to 15 minutes.
Wu says there exists a "well-documented" danger zone of dental plaque acidity that puts a tooth’s enamel at risk for mineral loss that may lead to cavities. Achint Utreja, a research scientist and dentist formerly on Wu’s team, said plaque acidity didn't reach that point after children consumed 10 grams of raisins. Adding unsweetened raisins to bran flakes failed to increase plaque acid compared to bran flakes alone.
However, eating commercially marketed raisin bran concluded in significantly more acid in the plaque, he said, reaching into what Wu identified as the danger zone.
Plaque bacteria on tooth surfaces can ferment various sugars such as glucose, fructose or sucrose and produce acids that may promote decay. But sucrose is also utilized by bacteria to produce sticky sugar polymers that help the bacteria remain on tooth surfaces, Wu said. Raisins themselves do not contain sucrose.
In a previous study at UIC, researchers identified several natural compounds from raisins which could inhibit the increase of some oral bacteria linked to cavities or gum disease.
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