ergo-log.com

Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

05.11.2024

Aging tea drinkers retain their teeth and molars

If you drink tea without sugar, there is a greater chance that you will still have all your teeth after the age of 65. Green tea in particular protects men's teeth, while black tea is a good protector of women's teeth. That is the take home message of an epidemiological study published in BMC Public Health.

Study
Japanese researchers at Osaka Dental University analyzed data from 6,387 Chinese people over 65 who had participated in the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. The researchers knew how many teeth the study participants had left and how much tea they drank.

The researchers could see that sugar intake increased the risk of losing teeth. So did diabetes and hypertension. The researchers tried to filter out these factors with statistics.

Results
The researchers first looked at the chance that the study participants still had at least 20 of their teeth. Men who drank green tea and took good care of their teeth - read: brushed their teeth daily - were 40 percent more likely to have 20 or more of their teeth left than men who did not drink green tea.

In women, green tea did not protect the teeth, but black tea did. Drinking black tea increases women's chances of having at least 20 natural teeth by as much as 265 percent.

Click on the tables below for a larger version.

In the table above you see the protective effect of tea on having at least 10 natural teeth. If you set the bar this far, black and green tea protect the teeth in both men and women - again, as long as they keep their teeth clean and brush them daily.

Mechanism
The researchers suspect that phenols in tea inhibit harmful microorganisms in the mouth.

Source:
BMC Public Health. 2024 Feb 7;24(1):400.

More:
Take fish oil to stop your teeth from falling out 02.04.2010

Archives:
Teeth
Tea

Hefty daily dose of glycine prevents caries If you are to believe a forgotten animal study from the 1970s, supplementation with glycine can help prevent tooth decay.	More vitamin D, less dental caries If children increase their vitamin D levels through supplements or sunlight, their risk of cavities in their molars and teeth decreases.	Polyphenols in juice and tea clear bacteria from your teeth Soft drinks - coke and energy drinks especially - destroy your teeth. They contain acids that dissolve your enamel.