| The Forsyth Institute
140 The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115
Contact: Dorothy A. Allen
617 262 5200, Ext. 396
len@forsyth.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SUGAR, STARCH NOT MAIN CAVITY CULPRITS
Boston, MA, October 30, 2000 -- Your kids come back from trick-or- treating with bags
of chocolate-covered caramel, candy corn, crackers and chips. Is confiscating the candy
the best way to protect their teeth?
Not necessarily, says, Shelby Kashket, PhD, a senior research scientist at The Forsyth
Institute, a scientific research center in Boston. Starchy foods like doughnuts, peanut
butter cookies, crackers or chips cling to the teeth longer than does candy and are just
as likely to lead to lead to tooth decay. In fact, Kashket says, decay is caused not so
much by what we eat, but by how frequently we eat. So the best way to
protect the teeth is to eat treats in one sitting, rather than snack or "graze"
throughout the day.
When we eat, Kashket explains, food particles stick to plaque—a bacterial film
that forms naturally on the teeth. The bacteria feed on the particles and produce acid,
which, in turn, causes the enamel surface of the teeth to dissolve. The longer acid
remains on the teeth, the more likely it is that cavities will form.
After a meal or drink, acid levels in the mouth rise for about half an hour, and the
enamel loses some minerals. When the acid subsides, saliva replenishes the minerals. With
frequent snacking, acid levels remain constantly high and re-mineralization, which
protects against cavities, cannot occur.
Frequent brushing will not help, Kashket points out, because brushing too often also
can abrade the teeth. He recommends brushing just twice a day.
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Additional advice for avoiding tooth decay:
Minimize the frequency of snacking
Encourage snacking on foods low in sugar, starch and carbohydrates such as cheese,
vegetables, yogurt and milk.
Encourage kids to brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste-- before bed and after
rising in the morning.
Suggested Sidebar: How do cavities form?
Cavities occur when acids penetrate enamel to the point where the very hard structure
of that layer breaks down. At this point, the normal maintenance processes cannot keep up
with the breakdown, and can no longer replace the minerals that have been lost. In adults,
breaking down the enamel can take four to six years. But for children with baby
teeth—where the enamel is thinner and less mineralized –cavities can form in
just a year or two. If left untreated, decay caused by cavity formation can penetrate
deeper into the tooth. This can lead to loss of significant parts of the tooth, infections
in the root and possibly in the bone itself.
The Forsyth Institute is a Boston-based research and education
organization with a worldwide mission focused on conditions of the mouth, face and head,
and their effects on overall health.
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