Acidity and Sugar Content of Commercial Alcoholic Beverages

So-Jung Mun1   Hyun-Sun Jeon2,*   

1Department of Dental Hygiene, College of Software and Digital Healthcare Convergence, Yonsei University, Wonju, 26493, Korea
2Department of Dental Hygiene, Yeoju Institute of Technology, Yeoju, 12652, Korea

Abstract

Objectives: Drinking alcohol may cause not only systemic disease, but also periodontal disease, dental erosion, and caries. This study aims to identify risk of periodontal and dental hard tissue damage by categorizing alcoholic beverages marketed in Korea by type and comparing acidity and sugar content. Methods: A total of sixty-five alcoholic beverages sold in Korea were categorized into fermented liquor, beer, fruit wine, and spirits. Beverages were stored at room temperature for at least 2 hours, after which sugar content and pH were measured. One-way ANOVA was performed for frequency analysis and to confirm acidity and sugar content for each beverage group. Results: The beverage with the highest alcohol content was spirits with an average of 16.3%, whereas the lowest alcohol content was in beer with an average of 4.7%. As for acidity, fruit wine had the highest levels and spirits had the lowest. Fruit wine had the highest sugar content, followed by fermented liquor, spirits, and beer (p<0.05). Conclusions: Fruit wines with low acidity and high sugar content may cause oral diseases. It is therefore necessary to communicate to consumers that drinking alcohol may cause oral diseases.

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