Malt drinks and enamel erosion in lab tests and people
What it found
A malt drink caused measurable wear on human tooth enamel worn by 10 volunteers over 10 days.
Lab tests of six malt drinks also showed erosive potential.
What they found
Studies in people
Enamel wear in people
Ten volunteers wore human enamel samples in their mouths for 10 days while drinking 250 ml of a malt drink at midday. The enamel showed measurable wear compared with samples exposed only to spring water, which showed no noticeable damage.
Differences between people
The amount of enamel wear from the malt drink varied greatly from person to person among the 10 volunteers.
Animal and lab studies
Lab tests on enamel
Six commercially available malt drinks were tested in the lab for their ability to wear away tooth enamel. This helped pick one drink for the volunteer study.
What the authors conclude
- They advise treating malt drinks as potentially capable of wearing away tooth enamel.
- They suggest that children and young people who drink malt beverages might experience even more enamel wear under similar conditions.
How it was done
Acidic drinks are known to wear away tooth enamel, but scientists were unsure about the role of malt drinks. The authors wanted to measure this effect in the lab and then compare it with what happens in the mouth.
Six shop-bought malt drinks were first tested for their ability to wear away enamel in the lab. Then 10 healthy volunteers wore mouthpieces holding human enamel samples for 10 days. They drank 250 ml of one malt drink or spring water at midday each day.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This was a short study lasting only 10 days, so it cannot show what happens over years of drinking malt beverages.
- The enamel samples were worn in mouthpieces rather than being natural teeth, which may not perfectly match everyday conditions.
- Only 10 adults took part, so the results may not reflect what happens in all people or in children.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Yeditepe University, Turkey
The paper
- Title
- The erosive potential of different malt drinks: an in vitro and in situ study
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Caglar E, Cildir SK, Sandalli N (2008). The erosive potential of different malt drinks: an in vitro and in situ study. The Journal of clinical pediatric dentistry.PubMed 19093649
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error