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WHILE SIPPING on sports drinks all day may pro-

vide an energy boost, this popular practice is also

exposing people to levels of acid that can cause

tooth erosion and hypersensitivity, New YorkUniversity dental researchers have found.

In a recent study, the researchers found that pro-

longed consumption of sports drinks may be linked to

erosive tooth wear. It is estimated that the condition

affects one in 15 Americans.

This is the first time that the citric acid in sports

drinks has been linked to erosive tooth wear, said

Mark Wolff, professor and chairman of the Department

of Cariology & Comprehensive Care at NYU College of

Dentistry, who led the study. The findings were presented

in April at the annual meeting of the International

Association for Dental Research in Miami.Dr. Wolffs research team cut in half cow teeth, which

were used for the study because of their close resemblance to

human teeth. They immersed one half of the specimens in a

sports drink, the other half in water, then compared the two

halves and discovered that the one exposed to the sports drink

displayed a significant amount of erosion and softening.

Five teeth were immersed in each drink for 75 to 90

minutes to simulate the effects of sipping on sports drinks

over the course of the day, Dr. Wolff said. T

researchers evaluated the effects of a range of top-selli

sports drinks on the cow teeth.

According to Dr. Wolff, brushing teeth immediatafter consuming a sports drink can compound the probl

of tooth erosion, because softened enamel is very susce

ble to the abrasive properties of toothpaste.

Dr. Wolffs coinvestigators on the study were Micha

Rice, a student at the University of the Pacific Dugo

School of Dentistry in San Francisco; Glenn Canares,

student at NYUCOD; and Mitchell S. Pines, a clinical p

fessor of biomaterials & biomimetics at NYUCOD.

Sport Drink Consumption Linked to Tooth Erosion

Red Flag

Rules ReminderEffective Date Delayed

NYSDA President Mike Breault and

ADA Second District Trustee Bill Calnon

have issued a reminder to members of

the revised August 1 effective date for

implementation of so-called Red Flag

rules, new federal regulations designedto deter identity theft.

Both NYSDA and the ADA oppose

the regulations and are continuing their

efforts to exempt dental offices from

them. In the meantime, however, dentists

will need to comply with the rules and

establish the proscribed office policies.

Members can find information

about the rules and obtain sample policy

and procedures outlines in the members-

only section of the NYSDA Web site,

www.nysdental.org. Information is avail-

able as well in the members-only section

of the ADA Web site, www.ada.org. An

article describing the rules and what

needs to be done to comply with them

was carried in the January New York

State Dental Journal.

The Federal Trade Commission,

responsible for the Red Flag Rules, has

launched a Web site as well to help cov-

ered entities design and implement iden-

tify theft prevention programs. Log on to

http:/www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/10/red-

flags.shtm.

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