Apples can be worse for your teeth than fizzy drinks

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but a new study has shown that eating apples may be more likely to send you to the dentist's chair.

The study found that apples, containing up to four teaspoons of sugar per serve and high acidic levels, could even potentially be more harmful than consuming canned fizzy drinks.

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"It is not only about what we eat, but how we eat it," warned Professor David Bartlett, head of prosthodontics at King's College London Dental Institute, who led the study.

"Doctors quite rightly say that eating apples is good, but if you eat them slowly the high acidity levels can damage your teeth."

Both the surface enamel and dentine, the supporting structure found beneath the 2mm layer of enamel, was inspected in the mouths of more than 1,000 participants aged between 18 and 30, and then compared with their diets.

Dentine damage was shown to be 3.7 times more likely for people who ate apples, while "the drinks most often associated with dietary erosion, particularly cola, showed no increased risk," said Professor Bartlett.

The study further confirmed that other foods and drinks containing high sugar and acidity levels such as fruit juice, wine and lager were likely cause up to four times the amount of dental damage to participants, while foods eaten less frequently like grapefruit and pickled onions were not.

This has highlighted the need to look at acidity levels of all foods and beverages consumed, rather than merely eliminating carbonated drinks.

But Dr Glenys Jones, nutritionist at the Medical Research Council's Human Nutrition Research unit emphasised the importance of balancing the risk of dental damage with nutritional content in foods.

"Fruit can be acidic and obviously does have a sugar content but I would not want anyone to be discouraged from consuming fruit and fruit juices," she told the Daily Mail.

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Dr Jones suggests ways to protect teeth is "drinking fruit juice and smoothies with a straw... Brushing your teeth before eating acidic foods can also help because it provides a barrier between the food and the teeth."

And you needn’t give up apples which are a healthy way to obtain your daily vitamin C and dietary fibre needs. Eating a piece of cheese or drinking a glass of milk alongside your apple will help neutralise tooth-decaying acid, as will rinsing your mouth with water immediately afterwards.

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