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Although cavities are most usually thought of as the general signifier of tooth decay, a faculty member at The Health Science Centre, University College London, has articulated his concern, through a recently conducted research on teeth erosion, of more and more citizens becoming susceptible to the occurrence of the same. Tooth erosion, in contrast with tooth cavity, refers to a syndrome whereby the teeth lose their protective enamel making them more vulnerable even to the slightly unfavourable conditions. The threat becomes even greater because teeth erosion occurs silently and hardly manifests any medical symptom before late, the effect being most pronounced in the global metropolises, London not being an exception here.Researches, conducted by Prof. Bennett and his colleagues at the University of Texas, confirm the prevalence of the syndrome among more that 30% of all 10-14 years old and that the threat is showing only an upward trend. The multi-centre study involved 900 middle-school goers, which finally reached a conclusion jointly at the Health Science Centre and The Indiana University, University of California, San Francisco.
Prof. Bennett identifies some acids, found in various food products that are being increasingly consumed these days, being detrimental towards the natural behaviour of the teeth enamel, thereby causing steady erosion in the same. These acid-rich food items include some varieties of fruit juice, soft drinks, sports drinks, beer salts, herbal teas, some varieties of candy, etc, which when consumed in excess affects the teeth enamel causing gradual decay in the calcium cover. Although teeth erosion causes no pain or irritation in its early stages, prolonged exposure to these harmful substances can make the problem painful and a lot severe. Therefore, early detection is necessary in order to keep the condition well under one’s control.