ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine the erosive potential of several carbonated waters and to confirm the availability of a simple ISO protocol for screening the erosive potential of drinks. METHODS: A total of six carbonated waters were tested. Three products (Lemon-Sparkling water, Seagram, and Trevi) were domestic, and the other three (Perrier, San Pellegrino, and Rosbacher) were imported. Two kinds of carbonated drinks (Coca-Cola and Sprite) were used as controls. The erosive potential of each drink was assessed by measuring the initial pH (pH(I)), the final pH after degassing of carbon dioxide (pH(F)), and the titratable acidity to pH 5.5 (TA(5.5)) and 7.0 (TA(7.0)). The pH changes (DeltapH) caused by the addition of drinks to screening solutions were calculated according to the ISO protocol for evaluating the erosive potential of oral rinses. RESULTS: The overall erosive potential of the carbonated waters was lower than that of the control drinks. The pHI and pH(F) of the carbonated waters ranged from 3.94 to 5.84 and from 5.07 to 7.88, respectively. The Lemon-Sparkling water showed the highest erosive potential among the carbonated waters, having the lowest pH (3.94) and the highest TA(5.5) (1.67 ml). The DeltapH of all tested drinks ranged from -1.00 to 0.23. Also, the tendency of erosive potential measured by DeltapH was similar to that measured by TA(5.5). CONCLUSIONS: The carbonated waters tested in this study had a lower erosive potential than did the carbonated drinks. However, the erosive potential of domestic products was higher than that of imported products. The results of the ISO screening test could reflect the influence of the acid content as well as the pH of drinks. Therefore, this protocol could also be conveniently applied to evaluate the erosive potential of various drinks.