Sugar-free drinks are bad news for teeth 

Scientists at the University of Melbourne’s Oral Health Cooperative Research Centre have warned about the damage sugar–free drinks can do to tooth enamel. Researchers in the Centre tested 23 different types of drink, including soft drinks and sports drinks, and found drinks that contain acidic additives and with low pH levels cause measurable damage to dental enamel, even if the drink is sugar–free. “Many people are not aware that while reducing your sugar intake does reduce your risk of dental decay, the chemical mix of acids in some foods and drinks can cause the equally damaging condition of dental erosion,” Melbourne Laureate Professor Eric Reynolds, CEO of the Oral Health CRC, said.

• The majority of soft drinks and sports drinks caused softening of dental enamel by 30%–50%.
• Both sugar–containing and sugar–free soft drinks (including flavoured mineral waters) produced measurable loss of the tooth surface, with no significant difference between the two groups of drinks.
• Of 8 sports drinks tested, all but 2 (those with higher calcium content) were found to cause loss of dental enamel.

New study shows link between gum disease and heart disease

A new study helps explain why a cleaner mouth could mean a healthier heart. New research from the University of Alberta shows that how clean you keep your mouth may affect your chances of developing heart disease. “A lot of people don’t realize oral health impacts the entire body,” says Maria Febbraio, foundational science researcher in the U of A’s School of Dentistry and author of the new study, published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE. Her findings add to existing research showing that patients with untreated periodontal disease are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Using preclinical models, Febbraio identified a new receptor on cells, CD36, that interacts with bacteria in the mouth causing periodontal disease. CD36 interacts with toll–like receptors – the immune system's early–warning sentinels against infection – to produce a protein called interleukin–1 beta, or IL1B. The IL1B then increases inflammation, which plays a role in both periodontal disease and atherosclerosis – providing a direct link between the two diseases.