Very soon the website drinksdestroyteeth.org will turn ten years old and its accompanying mobile app will turn five years old. This website offers lesson plans and supplemental resources for teachers and health care professionals, especially dentists, to use to educate children and help improve their oral health.
Since the beverage industry has millions of dollars at their disposal to market products that are harmful to children’s oral health, dentists are seeing an increase in erosion and decay in our children. Our greatest tool is education.
The most popular page on the website is The Unsweetened Truth which provides a simple list comparing the acid pH and teaspoons of sugar in 22 common drinks, from water and milk to Gatorade and Diet Coke and Pepsi. The list is provided below
Sugar and Acidity or pH of Common Drinks
The pH scale measures the acidity or alkalinity of a solution with pure water in the middle at neutral pH 7. The lower the pH, the stronger the acid.
| Drink or Substance (12 oz. serving) | Acid ph | Teaspoon |
|---|---|---|
| Water 7.0 (neutral) 0 | 7.0 | 0 |
| Milk 6.7 1 | 6.7 | 1 |
| Barq’s Root Beer 4 11 | 4 | 11 |
| Minute Maid® Orange Juice 3.8 9 | 3.8 | 9 |
| Propel® Fitness Water 3.4 1 | 3.4 | 1 |
| Red Bull® Energy Drink 3.3 10 | 3.3 | 10 |
| Sprite® 3.3 10 | 3.3 | 10 |
| Mountain Dew 3.3 12 | 3.3 | 12 |
| Diet Coke 3.1 0 | 3.1 | 0 |
| Sierra Mist 3.1 10 | 3.1 | 10 |
| Full Throttle Energy Drink 3 11 | 3.1 | 11 |
| Diet Pepsi 3 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Gatorade® 2.9 5 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Sunkist® Orange Soda 2.9 13 | 2.9 | 13 |
| Dr. Pepper 2.9 10 | 2.9 | 10 |
| Vault™ Energy Soda 2.9 12 | 2.9 | 12 |
| Mountain Dew (AMP Energy) 2.8 11 | 2.8 | 11 |
| SoBe Energy Citrus 2.6 12 | 2.6 | 12 |
| Minute Maid® Lemonade 2.6 10 | 2.6 | 10 |
| Pepsi 2.5 11 | 2.5 | 11 |
| Diet Schweppes Tonic Water 2.5 0 | 2.5 | 0 |
| Coca-Cola 2.4 10 | 2.4 | 10 |
| Battery Acid (Not a drink | 1.0 | 0 |
