Those who drink large quantities of diet soda could experience tooth damage similar to that experience by methamphetamine users, according to researchers from the Temple University School of Dentistry.
For the study, lead researcher Dr. Mohamed Bassiouny examined the tooth decay of a woman in her 30's who drank at least one two-liter bottle of diet soda every day for three to five years. He compared her teeth with a 29-year-old meth addict and a 51-year-old crack cocaine addict.
According to Bassiouny, the citric acid and phosphoric acid in diet soda over time caused almost indistinguishable damage from meth and crack:
"You look at it side-to-side with 'meth mouth' or 'coke mouth,' it is startling to see the intensity and extent of damage more or less the same," he explained. "None of the teeth affected by erosion were salvageable."
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