ABSTRACT:
Background: The oral health status depends on the diet we consume day to day. This decade has shown a global increase in production and consumption of carbonated and energy drinks. People are unaware about the acidogenic and cariogenic property of carbonated drinks which may subsequently lead to dental erosion, dental caries, decrease in salivary pH and decrease in the surface hardness of restorations. Decrease in salivary pH creates an acidic oral environment causing dry mouth, tooth decay and bad breath. Many advertisement showing energy drinks as alternatives for carbonated drinks has made people to move towards them. Thus this study evaluates the salivary pH between carbonated and energy drinks. Aim: To compare the salivary pH between carbonated and energy drinks. Materials and Methods: A single blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted among 20 healthy individuals. The participants were randomly allocated into four groups: Group 1, Group 2, Group 3. Before conducting the trial, the study design was explained to the qualifying participant and informed consent was obtained from the voluntary patients who were willing to participate in the study. pH meter was used to measure the salivary pH. Baseline salivary samples were collected and pH was measured. After consumption of the drink, salivary pH measured for each group. Independent t-test was used for assessment. Krushal Wallis test used to compare the mean difference between the groups. Results: There is no significant change in pH after consuming mineral water group but carbonated drink resulted in acidic pH after 15 minutes while energy drink raised towards baseline after 10 minutes of reduction in pH. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it is better to at least consume energy drink compared to carbonated drink even though both are harmful for oral environment.