Sugar-rich sports drinks contain as much as 12 teaspoons of sugar

ATHLETES are unwittingly risking tooth decay by sipping on sugar-rich, acidic sports drinks rather than good old tap water, research indicates.

THE popularity of sugar-rich sports drinks among athletes in preference to water is putting their teeth at risk with many unaware of the potential damage, a survey indicates.

The national survey of 1262 people who considered themselves ‘active’ or parents of ‘active’ children showed one third of parents allow their child to have sports drinks at least once a week.

Just over half of those surveyed indicated they are unaware of the damage the drinks can do, according to the survey commissioned by the Australian Dental Association.

The association recommends tap water with fluoride for most people to deal with dehydration, saying sports drinks are designed for elite athletes rather than ‘weekend warriors’ or even people simply going for a walk.

Association spokesman Dr Angelo Papageorgiou said dentists are finding people who play sports are aware of the importance of hydration but are not aware of the high sugar content of many popular sports drinks and protein shakes.

“While saliva is a powerful natural defence mechanism against erosion, if teeth are exposed to the acids in sports drinks too often, saliva does not have enough time to repair the damage,” he said.

“People who constantly take small sips of sports drinks are effectively bathing their teeth in harmful sugar or acids — sports drinks, protein shakes, energy drinks, energy bars and fruit juices can contain anything from five to a dozen teaspoons of sugar.

“In many cases, this sugar can be masqueraded as a ‘healthy’ ingredient, such as honey, rice syrup, or even ‘organic dehydrated cane juice’.”

The warning on sports drinks comes as dentists, joined by Sports Medicine Australia, ramp up their campaign for contact sports associations to introduce a ‘no mouthguard, no play’ policy.

Their research also found about three quarters of parents let their children wear over-the-counter mouthguards rather than those fitted by a dentist.

Hockey SA chief executive Andrew Ellis backed the move, and urged players across all ages

and divisions to invest in a custom fitted mouthguard.

“We are committed to promoting initiatives that improve player safety and are keen to work with clubs to assist in educating members about the importance of wearing a custom fitted

mouthguards,” he said.