Sugar and Oral Health

This study published in 2020 was designed to determine the differences in sweet taste perception in a group of preschool children (with and without caries) and to assess its relationship with frequency of sweets consumed by the kids and the presence of microbiota that cause tooth decay. Of the 63 child participants (aged between 2-6 years), 32 were with caries and 31 were without. Sweet taste perception was evaluated using a specific method that analyzed the level of taste preferences as well as the sensitivity threshold for a given taste. The children were also examined on their oral microbiota to find out which and the amount of tooth decay-causing bacteria present. The sweet perception test found that children with caries had a lower susceptibility to sucrose (>4 g/L) than children without caries who preferred a sucrose concentration of ≤ 4 g/L. Similarly, children who ate between meals had higher concentration thresholds to the sensation of sweet taste, compared with those who did not snack between meals. An elevated perception of sweet taste was strongly associated with more frequent sweet consumption in children with caries. The microbiota assessment also revealed that children with higher sucrose taste thresholds were more than 10 times more likely to grow S. mutans, a bacterium that can cause tooth decay. This study suggests the use of children’s taste preferences as a diagnostic tool for identifying increased vulnerability to caries development.