Coffee and Tea Online News

Steaming Coffee

Tea and Oral Health

Dental disease remains a significant problem in the western world with the majority of people suffering with the consequences of this disease at some stage in their lives. It can result in acute pain; aesthetic problems and can increase the risk of tooth loss, which may have long-term effects on food intake resulting in impaired nutritional status and subsequent overall well being.
Damage to or loss of teeth may result from:

Epidemiological surveys have reported that some populations who drink tea on a regular basis have a reduced number of carious teeth. Proposed mechanisms for Tea’s oral health benefits include:

Flouride:

The tea plant (Camellia Sinensis) extracts fluoride from the soil, which then accumulates in its leaves. For this reason tea is a very rich source of fluoride; dry tealeaves may contain 4-400ppm fluoride, the brewed tea 0.34-6ppm 10-12 resulting in one cup of tea containing between 0.3mg and 0.5mg of fluoride. In fact, in the UK the majority of fluoride comes from tea, providing 70% of their daily intake. Findings from a recent study that investigated the bioavailability of fluoride from tea in relation to its interaction with the tooth surface and oral tissues, demonstrated that after rinsing with tea, 34% of the fluoride was retained in the oral cavity and that some of this showed a strong binding ability to enamel particles on the tooth surface. For this reason the authors concluded that tea was an effective vehicle for delivering fluoride to the oral cavity where it may then become associated with the oral tissues potentially helping to prevent dental decay.

Some concern has been raised over excessive intakes of fluoride causing fluorosis in the enamel of the teeth while it is still forming in children. Early signs of fluorosis are mottling and discoloration of the teeth. Although appearance of the teeth is affected, the structure of the teeth will actually be stronger and less likely to get decay. In addition, the Dental profession is almost totally in flavor of water fluoridation and any concerns have been carefully considered and discounted by the Public Health Alliance and the British Fluoridation Society (1995).

Tannins:

Other components of tea may also contribute to the inhibition of caries. It has been reported that the tannins in tea can inhibit salivary amylase thereby reducing the cariogenic potential of starch-containing foods. A number of studies have also demonstrated that tannic acid inhibits the growth of S.mutans bacteria, a major factor in the build-up of dental plaque.

Acid Erosion:

In addition to its beneficial effect on plaque, tannin, along with other components of tea such as catechin, caffeine and tocopherol have been shown to be effective in increasing the acid resistance of tooth enamel. Their effects increased dramatically when they were used in combination with fluoride. The acid content of black tea and its influence on oral acidity during consumption has also been investigated. The pH of the tooth surface in ten healthy volunteers was examined after consuming black tea. The very small, short-lived, pH decrease that was observed led to the conclusion that tea can be recommended as an alternative drink to the more acidic versions, such as fizzy drinks, as part of preventive measures for dental erosion.

Flavonoids:

Green tea and specific flavonoids, mainly catechins, have exhibited inhibitory effects on the growth of cariogenic bacteria by inhibiting the adherence and growth of plaque bacteria at the tooth surface.

Tea and Oral Cancer

Preliminary results from trials determining the role of tea in the prevention of oral cancer look promising. One double blind, randomized intervention trial suggested that treating patients with a mixture of black and green tea components could improve the clinical manifestations of their oral lesions.

There is a growing amount of in-vitro research identifying tea’s potential oral health benefits. Although the scientific evidence for the mechanisms by which tea exerts its positive health effects is not yet conclusive it represents promising areas for future research in human trials. In the mean time it is reasonable to conclude that drinking tea, without the addition of sugar, is compatible with dietary advice to prevent dental decay, thereby helping to promote overall health and well being.