There are a number of concerns around energy drinks, including the adverse effects on the human body. Energy drinks also contain stimulant compounds (normally caffeinated beverages) and these can cause havoc with the lives’ of young people.
These concerns extend to oral health, as indicated in the programme announced by the UK Labour Party ahead of the next legislative year.
This focus on the risks of energy drinks teeth and gums makes sense, says Dr Smita Mehra, principal dentist at The Neem Tree Practices. Mehra tells Digital Journal about the potential impact of these bans on the long-term benefits of stricter regulations around energy drink sales in relation to oral health.
Mehra states the case with: “When it comes to the health impact of energy drinks, anyone consuming them regularly should be wary of the excessively high levels of sugar used in the production, regardless of age.”
Outlining the primary risk factors, Mehra says: “Some popular energy drinks currently available to purchase on UK supermarket shelves contain upwards of 21 tsp (83.5g) of sugar per 500ml can, a shockingly high figure. When you then factor in research that suggests as many as one-third of children in the UK are consuming energy drinks weekly, the potential consequences for the next generation are hard to ignore.”
Therefore there are a series of risks to health, which Mehra presents as: “Drinking large amounts of high-sugar drinks can have many adverse effects on the general health of adolescents, having previously been linked with type-2 diabetes, obesity, and weight gain as the individuals age.”
Expanding on this, the dentist notes: “From a dental perspective, fizzy energy drinks with high levels of sugar will increase the risk of tooth decay. This also includes any energy drinks marked as ‘sugar-free’ – which still contain acids that can erode the outer surface of a tooth due to the ‘fizz’.”
Returning to sugar-laden energy drinks, Mehra cautions: “The sugars and acids found within energy drinks interact with the naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth to form an acid. This acid then attacks the teeth and will begin to form cavities, decay, and acid erosion. The erosion causes tooth enamel in a child’s mouth to become thinner and softer.”
The impact of this is: “The weakening of enamel can result in teeth looking discoloured or stained, and also adds a risk of tooth sensitivity, something that no young person should be having to deal with through their own actions.”
Supporting these measures being directed towards the youth demographic, Mehra concludes: “What’s more, many young people may tend to sip on energy drinks over the course of the day or during their morning walk to school. Sipping on a drink this high in sugar means that teeth are continually bathed in acid, further worsening the long-term damage to enamel.”
