Assessment of the Erosive Potential of the Commonly Consumed Fruit-Based Beverages Among Children

Background Dental erosion an irreversible loss of dental hard tissue by a chemical process without the involvement of bacteria can be caused by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The consumption of foods with a low pH can cause a drop in the pH of the oral cavity below critical pH and its persistence can lead to a potential damage to teeth. As acidic beverages are likely to be a major factor in the etiology of dental erosion it is important to determine the erosive potential of commonly consumed fruit-based beverages among children and educate the parents of their detrimental effects on teeth.Objectives To evaluate and compare the pH and titratable acidity of the commonly consumed fruit-based beverages.Methodology Three commonly consumed flavours Orange Apple Mixed fruit of fruit-based beverages Group 1 - fresh fruit juice Group 2 - packed fruit juice Group 3 - packed fruit drink were analyzed for pH and titratable acidity. The pH was determined using digital pH meter and the titratable acidity was measured by adding 1M sodium hydroxide NaOH in increments of 0.2 ml to 100 ml of the freshly prepared opened fruit-based beverages until the pH reached 5.5 and 7. The pH reading was measured after each increment 0.2 ml of NaOH until a stable pH was achieved. All the measurements were repeated in triplicates.Results The pH of all drinks investigated in the present study ranged between 3.29 - 4.43. On comparison of the titratable acidity packed fruit drink Group 3 exhibited highest titratable acidity followed by packed fruit juices Group 2 and fresh fruit juices Group 1.Conclusion All the fruit-based beverages in the present study exhibited an acidic pH which was well below the critical pH of 5.5 thereby exhibiting an erosive potential.