Boost those cavities, Ensure more replacement crowns

A recent article in the New York Times cautioned about the sugar content in those nutritional drinks taken by older Canadians. These drinks have the brands such as Boost and Ensure and are called by some geriatricians “liquid candy with vitamins.”

As reported, one version of Boost contains 28 grams of sugar in an 8 oz bottle. By comparison, a 12 oz can of Coke has 33 grams of sugar.

So one concern, of course, is the promotion of root caries by the frequent sipping of these kinds of drinks.

We do know, for example, that the frequent sipping of sweetened drinks increases the odds five-fold, for cavities in children.

And compared to older Canadians taking Boost, children don’t have exposed root surfaces and often have more saliva.

One common supposition is that diet counseling is needed for the younger dental patient. In fact, it seems that dental professionals need to mindful of what our seniors are sipping too.

By: Ross Perry

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