Caries prevalence with aspartame vs. sucrose
A study compared the effects of aspartame versus other sweeteners on teeth.
In the systematic review and meta-analysis, published in the Journal of Dentistry, investigators used the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and CENTRAL databases to identify 13 studies focused on assessing the cariogenicity of aspartame and sucrose across clinical trials, animal models and dental samples.
Compared with sucrose, the investigators discovered that aspartame was less acidogenic in the clinical trials, and in animal models, the sweetener was found to be less cariogenic. They indicated that replacing sucrose with aspartame could help individuals keep their oral pH within a less acidic and erosive range. However, aspartame was not as effective on bacterial composition, when added to sucrose or in sulcal caries.
The investigators suggested that the lower rate of caries observed in their analysis could be related to aspartame’s ability to lower sugar intake. Further studies will need to evaluate the overall effects of aspartame on oral health.
Read more: Journal of Dentistry
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