The pH of Commercially Available Non-Alcoholic Beverages In Nigeria and the Dental Health Implications

The objective of this study was to determine the pH values of commercially available non-alcoholic beverages in Nigeria and utilize the information to evaluate their potential erosive effects on dental health. One hundred and eighty commercial brands of non-alcoholic beverages comprising soda drinks (23%), energy drinks (17%), fruit drinks (25%), malt drinks (5%), teas (13%), and bottled waters (17%) were randomly purchased from different sales outlets in Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. The pH of the beverages was measured in triplicates using a standardised pH meter and reported as mean and standard deviation. The potentials for dental erosion were calculated based on the relative erosivity zones of the samples using a threshold of pH 4.0. The pH of the soda drinks ranged from 2.35-3.93, energy drinks 2.57-3.71, fruit drinks 2.49-4.27, malt drinks 4.00-4.61, teas 3.28-6.38, and bottled waters 3.03-7.73. The erosive potentials of the beverages were categorised as extremely erosive (pH <3.0), erosive (pH 3.0-3.99), and minimally erosive (pH ≥4.0) at 33 %, 33 %, and 34 %, respectively of the total number of samples. The high acidity of non-alcoholic beverages can have a significant impact on dental health.