Midnight Snacking Harms Dental Health

Wednesday 2nd June 2010

Dieter's are often warned not to eat meals late at night, but now, researchers claim that midnight snacking could damage your dental health as well as your waist-line. American and Danish researchers warn that midnight snacking leads to increased levels of harmful tooth decay. Researchers hope that their findings will encourage nocturnal eaters to take change their habits and safeguard their dental health.

Researchers studied the oral health of 2,217 men and women. They found that people who woke during the night to snack lost more teeth than their sleeping counterparts regardless of how carbohydrate or sugar levels varied. The researchers explain that the body seems to produce less saliva at night which cause food debris to stay in the mouth for longer. Prolonged exposure to food debris and harmful acids erodes the teeth and increases the damage caused.

Researchers hope that dentists will now warn patients of the impact their night-time eating habits can have. Researchers suggest that dentists could even identify at-risk patients by screening for nocturnal eating habits.

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