Influence of sugar and sweet foods on the hardness of tooth enamel

Abstract

Human nutrition has changed dramatically over the past few decades. The food industry now offers a huge variety of attractive foods that are high in sugars and acids, and the average human consumption of these soft drinks, snacks and convenience foods has skyrocketed. It has been established that nutrition significantly affects dental health. For example, excessive consumption of sugar and sugar-containing foods significantly increases the development of tooth decay. On the other hand, it has been proven that the mechanical properties of the hardness and elastic modulus of enamel and dentin are a predictor of tissue erosion and cariogenic changes in the structure of teeth and can be considered as diagnostic indicators. In this regard, it seems interesting and timely to review the literature data on the study of the effect of sugar and sweet foods on the hardness of tooth enamel.