Kazmi S, Mughal A, Habib M, Ayaz M, Tariq H, Arshman Khan.
Effects on the enamel due to the carbonated drinks — a SEM study.
Pak Oral Dental J Jan ;36(2):221-5.

Carbonated beverages are becoming immensely popular among individuals. These drinks are one of the major contributing factors which lead to the dissolution of apatite crystals of enamel. Study the effects of different carbonated drinks on the labial surface of enamel and its esthetic outcomes. The objective differences of various drinks are examined and evaluated under SEM. Twelve extracted anterior teeth were selected and thoroughly cleansed for debris and disinfected by sodium hypochlorite for 24 hours. Distributed into four groups, these samples were submerged into different carbonated drinks (Pepsi, carbonated juice-Big Apple, Sports drink-Sting, control group-natural saliva) each for 5min, in 4 cycles per day (6hours apart) for 15 days. The samples from the control group were exposed to natural saliva during experimentation. Throughout the experiment the samples were stored in Saline (0.9% W/V NaCl). This storage medium was changed on daily basis and in each cycle a new chilled (at 3-4°C) bottled drink was used. Samples were dried under a lamp keeping a safe distance of 15cm, coated with Aurum (gold) foil to be examined under the JSM- 5200 Scanning Electron Microscope (JEOL, Tokyo, Japan) at 20kV and were then photographed at different magnitudes. The SEM images show rough enamel surface which is due to the acidic content (phosphoric acid and citric acid) of Pepsi, carbonated drink and sports drink. As the samples were immersed in (NaOCl) for 24 hours, it is expected that micro pores noticed in the images from control group were developed due to this initial immersion. It is reported that NaOCl create 3-8 micron pores on the surface of tooth after immersion. It was concluded acidic soft drinks induce roughness on the enamel, which eventually reduces the mechanical and physical properties of the structure. These changes in physical properties render the enamel more vulnerable to staining, fracturing and developing of caries.

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