A Tart Twist on Plaque Prevention
New research suggests that unsweetened 100% cranberry juice may help reduce dental plaque growth and acid production, offering a potential new approach to oral disease prevention.
It’s widely known that drinking cranberry juice can stave off a bladder infection,1 but what about plaque? A new study from the University of Illinois Chicago found that drinking unsweetened pure cranberry juice reduced plaque and acid production growth in the oral cavity.
The small study, which comprised14 children and eight adults, included two groups: one drank unsweetened 100% cranberry juice and the other consumed a sweetened cranberry juice cocktail that included only 27% pure cranberry juice.
All participants arrived at the study without brushing their teeth to ensure the presence of plaque. Plaque samples were taken and then subjects drank three portions of either the pure or sweetened juice.
Researchers found that the plaque exposed to the pure cranberry juice grew more slowly than the plaque exposed to the cocktail. All participants who consumed the pure juice also had lower acid production than those who drank the sugared beverage.
So oral health professionals may be adding an additional tool to their disease-fighting armamentarium — pure cranberry juice! However, research on much larger study samples is necessary before any recommendations on the oral health value of the juice can be made. Click here to read more.
Reference
- Williams G, Hahn D, Stephens JH, Craig JC, Hodson EM. Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023;4(4):CD001321.
