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Fruit juices are bad for children's teeth
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
In the food pyramid recommended by nutritionists for children's nutrition, one of the main places is occupied by vegetables and fruits. Experts in the field of healthy nutrition recommend eating fruits at least 2-3 times a day and eating at least 3-5 vegetable dishes.
Another symbol of health and well-being of children's teeth is a child biting into an apple. Meanwhile, as dentists say, a fruit and vegetable diet also poses certain dangers for children's teeth. Fruit juices are especially unfavorable in this regard, and not only store-bought ones, but also freshly squeezed ones.
Regularly drinking fruit juices can cause long-term damage to teeth in children's mouths, dentists say. In particular, as confirmed by recent research conducted by specialists from the Faculty of Dentistry of the Royal College of Surgeons in the UK, almost half of children whose parents give them fruit juices every day show signs of damage to teeth.
Yes, fruit juices (especially freshly squeezed) are a storehouse of vitamins that are beneficial for a child's health, but at the same time, they also contain a large amount of natural sugars that cause tooth decay. And the acid (in fairly high concentrations) present in most juices, according to scientists, causes irreversible erosion of children's teeth.
Based on the above, the college's dean, Dr. Katie Harley, urges parents to give their children fruit juice no more than once a week, and to give them plain water and milk to drink on the other days.
Interestingly, the UK's official medical authority recommends that each person consume up to 150ml of fruit juice daily. This, according to experts at the authority, counts as one of the five portions of fruit and vegetables recommended for a daily diet.
It should be noted that acid, which is dangerous for teeth, is present not only in fruit juices, but also in the fruits themselves. Therefore, after a child eats an apple, dentists advise drinking water or rinsing the mouth with it to wash away the acid.
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