Herbal tea may damage teeth - study

[Posted: Wed 07/05/2003 - www.irishhealth.com]

By Deborah Condon

Drinking herbal tea may damage teeth by eroding enamel, the results of a new study indicate.

Researchers analysed the erosive potential of a variety of herbal teas by measuring their pH levels, which shows whether a substance is acid or alkaline. Acidic substances are known to damage teeth. The ability of the herbal teas to erode enamel was also measured. Enamel is the hard, white, outer layer of the tooth.

The same tests were carried out on orange juice, an acidic substance which is known to erode enamel.

The study found that while some of the herbal teas had high pH levels, indicating that they are alkaline and do not damage teeth, many of the teas tested had low pH levels, which means that they are acidic and can damage teeth.

"Many of the herbal teas tested were found to be more erosive than orange juice", the researchers from the University of Bristol Dental School said.

"Many studies show a high prevalence of tooth wear, even in young patients. One factor that may be contributing to this problem is the consumption of herbal teas that are often considered to be 'healthy' alternatives to other beverages", the researchers added.

Dentists treating patients with enamel damage should advise their patients of the potential risk of some herbal teas, they also said.

Details of this study are published in the 'Journal of Dentistry'.

Clodagh(clodaghd)  Posted: 13/05/2003 15:26

Are teas which are primarily fruit teas and are likley to be acidic being classed under the umbrella of herbal teas? In Switzerland they are classifed separately.

Anonymous   Posted: 14/05/2003 02:57

Give me a break - what will the medical industry come up with next to undermine natural products?

Anonymous   Posted: 14/05/2003 12:44

Herbal and some fruit teas are acidic but then so is coffee (which is also a natural product)and regular tea

maimak  Posted: 17/05/2003 15:24

Oh, the Divine Mother of the Great Earth Mother...what next? Who needs teeth anyway? The ones we have do not appear to be of sufficient strength and sharpness to penetrate the thick skins of that peculiar species...Politicianus Brassacus...so why worry about the damn things!

Anonymous   Posted: 27/05/2003 09:37

It's amazing! What is a body to do?Apparently recent studies now have found regular tea to help prevent stroke, drink up to five cups a day. And I thought it was bad for me!

Anonymous   Posted: 18/06/2003 21:05

This is true! Peppermint tea badly stained my teeth.They were ugly! The dentist had to use brut force to get it off! As a rsult I have stop drinking it all together!

Anonymous   Posted: 19/06/2003 09:09

Ordinary tea (or coffee in excessive amounts) also stains teeth. I wouyld recommend a whitening toothpaste (such as pearl drops) - though not one containing bread soda as this is an abrasive which can damage teeth.

Neidi  Posted: 20/06/2003 10:36

Surely a few cups a day can't do much damage? Brushing teeth afterwards will surely also help? I mean - how are you supposed to win at this game??

Justine(JSmythe)  Posted: 04/08/2003 18:32

I have been drinking plenty of nourishing herbal infusions for years and I always get a great report from the dentist so I think the report must be skewed...please come visit our Wise Woman forum to discuss herbal healing with like-minded women : )) ooops...almost forgot the address...its http://www.herbshealing.com/weedforum/ Also, here is a super article on nourishing herbal infusions... http://www.herbshealing.com/how_to_make_infusions.htm lots a green love, Justine

Y(CDJ22688)  Posted: 12/01/2005 14:56

I would have to agree. About 10 days ago started drinking pure camomile tea to help me sleep at night. As it is supposed to be a natural alternative I did not think it would have any side-effects whatsoever... until my partner told me that my teeth are becoming unusually yellow. Upon closer inspection I realised that they were actually going brown! In general, I believe that all scientific reports should be taken with a grain of salt, but in this case I think that the effects of herbal teas on teeth are significant but will most likely vary from person to person, and it probably depends on the type and the purity of tea that is being consumed i.e. a herbal infusion may not be as damaging as pure flowers.

Anonymous   Posted: 15/01/2005 14:04

Definitely- herbal teas do stain teeth because of the tannins or dyes found in tea. But sure not to worry, there's plenty on non-abrasive or low abrasive whitening toothpastes and mouth washes out there!

CUDDLES  Posted: 20/06/2008 08:47

can anyone tell me about matcha green tea and is it good for you

mycupoftea  Posted: 30/04/2009 12:06

Depend on what type of herbal tea you are drinking! I like to drink Rosebud Tea without any milk and sugar and I don't think it is bad for my teeth.

The Dockleaf  Posted: 11/06/2009 18:44

Is it possible to get some further details about which herbs were investigated in the trial and also the citation / reference for the research. Just where it is published is not good enough. The reference does not have to be Harvard Citation, but should include the title of the article, author & year at least. Very poor critique.

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