New season, new drinks
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 7th December 2024
With the days getting colder and darker, it is time to warm up with some winter drinks. As supermarkets, pubs and coffee shops begin their rollout of enticing seasonal beverages, alerting patients to the risks that certain hot drinks can have on their oral health is essential for their well-being.
Winter warmers
After coffee, alcohol is the most commonly consumed drug in the UK.[i] 11% of the UK population’s daily intake of sugar comes from alcoholic drinks, and the winter season, particularly the build-up to Christmas, is a time for celebratory beverages at family get-togethers, festive work parties and sprawling meals. Oral health should not be neglected at this busy time of the year.
To combat the cold and promote a seasonal spirit, mulled wine emerges as a popular drink. For some, mulled wine is a highlight of the winter season, with the drink being synonymous with warming up the hands during Christmassy evenings or carol services. Whilst some may buy mulled wine pre-mixed from a shop, others may prefer making their own, with both family and online recipes available. The varying amounts of red wine, spices and fruit that consumers may use to make mulled wine makes it hard to categorise such elements as its pH level or sugar content, but all mulled wine is both acidic and sugary, and therefore damaging to the oral cavity.[ii]
Frequent mulled wine consumption can be a triple-pronged threat to teeth, increasing the risk of staining, decay and dental erosion. The red wine base includes dietary chromogens that are absorbed into the pellicle, forming a layer of stained material that can be difficult to remove.[iii] Composite restorations are similarly affected. As staining impacts aesthetics, it may lead to patients feeling more self-conscious about their smile and therefore reduces their quality of life.
Mulled wine’s high sugar content and the traditional addition of acidic citrus fruits to it can increase the risk of tooth decay and dental erosion if consumed without moderation. Frequent alcohol drinkers are likely to have dental erosion on the palatal surfaces of the upper anterior teeth, with behavioural elements – such as intake frequency and how long the drink is retained in the oral cavity before swallowing – effecting the risk level.[iv]
A few benefits
Despite the oral health risks associated with it, drinking mulled wine should not be wholly discouraged as red wine has health benefits that range from helping the heart and lowering the risk of diabetes.[v] For the oral cavity, red wine has antibacterial qualities due to the prevalence of antioxidant compounds called polyphenols.[vi] As salivary enzymes begin the breakdown of food or drink, the polyphenols begin protecting the body in the oral cavity before working with the good bacteria in the gut to neutralise free radicals.[vii] Polyphenols are also found in drinks like coffee and cider, with mulled cider as a winter beverage carrying similar risks and benefits as mulled wine.[viii] Patients must be advised on the importance of moderation when consuming red wine or mulled wine so that any positive benefit is not counteracted by the negative impacts of heavy drinking.
Sugar rush
A winter warmer for all ages is hot chocolate, a market that in the UK alone is worth £132 million.[ix] Curling up on the sofa with a mug of hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream, a flavoured syrup and marshmallows, is appealing for both children and adults, despite its high sugar warning. For children aged 7-10, the recommended daily sugar intake should not exceed 24g, whilst for adults it should not exceed 30g.[x] A homemade hot chocolate, depending on how many teaspoons used, can contain over 10g of sugar – a substantial amount of the daily limit.[xi]
For those buying from a café or coffee chain, certain seasonal hot chocolate offerings have been to found contain as much as 23 teaspoons of sugar – around the same as three cans of Coca-Cola.[xii] This can cause serious dental erosion. To make sure that drinking hot chocolate is both tasty and beneficial throughout the winter, maintaining a consistent oral hygiene routine is essential to stop the sugars causing damage.[xiii]
For an effective way of maintaining good oral health, your patients should consider the Perio plus range of mouthwashes from Curaprox. Featuring varying levels of chlorhexidine, the three mouthwashes – Forte, Balance, Regenerate – offer antibacterial qualities to guard the oral cavity from harmful diseases. They also contain the Citrox(R) formula, extracted from bitter oranges, which provides a flavoursome experience that doesn’t impact taste afterwards. To remove harmful bacteria and keep teeth clean, think Perio plus for acute dental problems.
By following a reliable oral hygiene routine, patients can enjoy all the warming seasonal drinks without having to worry.
To arrange a Practice Educational Meeting with your Curaden Development Manager please email us on sales@curaden.co.uk
For more information, please visit www.curaprox.co.uk and www.curaden.co.uk
Author: Andrew Turner Curaden UK Head of Marketing UK & Ireland
[i] R., G. (2018). The relevance of alcohol to dental practice. BDJ Team, [online] 5(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/bdjteam.2018.25.
[ii] popcreative (2019). The best and worst Christmas foods for your teeth – Regent Dental Centre. [online] Regent Dental Centre. Available at: https://www.regentdentalcentre.co.uk/the-best-and-worst-christmas-foods-for-your-teeth/#:~:text=Mulled%20wine&text=As%20well%20as%20this%2C%20it [Accessed 12 Sep. 2024].
[iii] R., G. (2018). The relevance of alcohol to dental practice. BDJ Team, [online] 5(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/bdjteam.2018.25.
[iv] Peycheva, K. & Boteva, E.. (2016). Effect of Alcohol to Oral Health. Acta Medica Bulgarica. 43. 10.1515/amb-2016-0009. Accessed via: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301571112_Effect_of_Alcohol_to_Oral_Health
[v] Esteban-Fernández, A., Zorraquín-Peña, I., Ferrer, M.D., Mira, A., Bartolomé, B., González de Llano, D. and Moreno-Arribas, M.V. (2018). Inhibition of Oral Pathogens Adhesion to Human Gingival Fibroblasts by Wine Polyphenols Alone and in Combination with an Oral Probiotic. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 66(9), pp.2071–2082. doi:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05466.
[vi] Esteban-Fernández, A., Zorraquín-Peña, I., Ferrer, M.D., Mira, A., Bartolomé, B., González de Llano, D. and Moreno-Arribas, M.V. (2018). Inhibition of Oral Pathogens Adhesion to Human Gingival Fibroblasts by Wine Polyphenols Alone and in Combination with an Oral Probiotic. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 66(9), pp.2071–2082. doi:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05466.
[vii] Esteban-Fernández, A., Zorraquín-Peña, I., Ferrer, M.D., Mira, A., Bartolomé, B., González de Llano, D. and Moreno-Arribas, M.V. (2018). Inhibition of Oral Pathogens Adhesion to Human Gingival Fibroblasts by Wine Polyphenols Alone and in Combination with an Oral Probiotic. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 66(9), pp.2071–2082. doi:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05466.
[viii] Therrien, A. (2018). Red wine compound ‘could help tooth decay and gum disease fight’. [online] BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43126438 [Accessed 12 Sep. 2024].
[ix] Cameron, C. (2023). How are people Hot Chocolate-ing? | IBC Simply. [online] IBC Simply. Available at: https://www.ibcsimply.com/hot-chocolate-trends-in-2024/ [Accessed 12 Sep. 2024].
[x] NHS (2023). Sugar: the facts. [online] nhs.uk. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/how-does-sugar-in-our-diet-affect-our-health/.
[xi] Whitakers Chocolates UK. (2024). How Much Sugar is in Hot Chocolate? [online] Available at: https://www.whitakerschocolates.com/blogs/blog/how-much-sugar-is-in-hot-chocolate?srsltid=AfmBOopDOBJFzD4-Ar2FqXVDCrZ-fVSGHJEuykKLkTvsxJKe2tyCnv0v [Accessed 12 Sep. 2024].
[xii] ‘Sugar overload’ warning for festive hot drinks. (2019). BBC News. [online] 3 Dec. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-50628962.
[xiii] Sciscenti, M.J. (2015). Why we drink hot chocolate in the winter | Mark J Sciscenti. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/07/why-we-drink-hot-chocolate-in-the-winter.
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