Researchers from the University of Ulster in Ireland and King's College London are taking a novel approach to examining how soft drinks cause dental erosion.
A two-year study grant has been awarded to materials scientist and lecturer Patrick Lemoine, Ph.D., and Brian Meenan, Ph.D., an expert in biomedical materials, according to a press release. The 100,000 pound ($156,000 U.S.) grant is funded by the Leverhulme Trust.
The researchers are members of the Nanotechnology and Integrated BioEngineering Centre on the University of Ulster's Jordanstown campus. They will work with Sanjukta Deb, Ph.D., from Kings College London's Dental Institute.
"These drinks can act like a descaling solution that you might use to clean your kettle or acid rain that attacks the stonework of ancient limestone buildings," said Lemoine, principal investigator of the project, in a press release.
Recent research shows that a small amount of soft tissue that occurs within the enamel plays a similar role as dentine, he noted.
"This soft material is made up of proteins and water. It is small in content but very finely dispersed within the enamel and in effect represents the glue that binds the mineral crystals within this material," Lemoine said. "The idea behind the project is a simple one. Acidic ions in these soft drinks can interact with the proteins, modify their folding and structure, and change their shock-absorbing capability."
This is a new way to look at dental erosion, Lemoine explained. "In effect, we are looking at effects on the mortar between the stones rather than the stones themselves," he said. "This novel approach has probably not been considered to date because these proteins represent only a very small fraction of the enamel material."
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