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Bedtime snack attacks prove a risk to oral health
3rd Jun 2010
Dental experts have warned that eating snacks late at night could damage the teeth and gums.
Danish researchers reveal that snacking late at night can cause serious damage to the teeth.
The research team joined forces with colleagues in America to study data from existing medical studies and identify how eating late at night affects the teeth.
Over two thousand medical records were examined by the team of researchers.
Of the 2,217 participants, 8% were classed as ‘nocturnal eaters', meaning they ate more than a quarter of their calorie allowance after tea time at least twice a week; this also included people who woke up late at night or in the early hours of the morning to snack.
The study found that the nocturnal eaters were much more likely to end up losing their teeth than people who ate the majority of their calories during the day and avoided eating during the night.
Researchers have linked the findings to a lack of saliva at night; saliva is important because it helps to wash away and break down food debris after eating.
At night, the mouth is dryer and therefore food cannot be removed so easily.
The research team urge people to consider their eating habits; it is impossible to prevent people from eating late at night but people should be aware of the potential risks to their oral health and dentists are being encouraged to share this information with their patients.
Professor Damien Walmsley, an advisor to the British Dental Health Foundation, said that people should be aware of the dangers of eating late at night, when the mouth is dry and food particles are left to linger for a long period of time.
Professor Walsmley urged patients to brush their teeth twice a day, with one cleaning session coming before bedtime.
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