Concerns surface over young patients’ enamel loss
Dentists have recently expressed concerns over the rise in young patients found to have significant enamel loss. There has even been a notable increase in the number of patients with no enamel on certain parts of their teeth whatsoever, according to Dr Rupert Austin of the King’s College Dental Institute.
New figures have been released, showing that the proportion of young people with no enamel covering on certain parts of their teeth twenty years ago was around nine per cent of the population, whereas this has now risen to a whopping twenty-three per cent in 2017, according to Dr Austin. The figures cover patients between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four.
According to dentists, the main contributor to this loss of enamel is the ever-growing popularity of fizzy drinks, though other factors have been cited, including people’s diets and the increased occurrences of eating disorders in teenagers and young adults. Dr Austin elaborated by saying that canned carbonated drinks and the significant increase in popularity of acidic fruit juices, among other widespread products, are taking a massive toll on the public’s dental health. The worrying rise of eating disorders is also worth considering, with many young people suffering from its effects. Bulimia in particular is extremely harmful to oral health due to the regurgitation of stomach acid swilling around the teeth, eroding the enamel.
Dr Austin ended his advice by recommending young people to moderate their consumption of fizzy drinks and acidic or sugary foods, and remembering to brush their teeth twice a day with a good fluoride-rich toothpaste in order to slash the risk of erosion and to guard the remaining enamel.
