Sour gummy candies and their effect on salivary pH kinetics

Abstract

Objective: This randomized controlled crossover clinical trial monitored the kinetics of salivary pH over time following the consumption of sour gummy candy. Material and Methods: Twenty participants underwent saliva assessment for flow, pH and buffer capacity. Following a two-arm crossover layout, the participants chewed a piece of a sour and a piece of an ordinary (control) gummy candy for 20 seconds. Participants expectorated saliva at 18 time points: immediately after ingesting the candies; then after every 15 second interval, for up to 1 minute; 30 seconds up to 4 minutes; 60 seconds up to 10 minutes; and at 15 minutes. The pH of the collected samples was measured with a pH microelectrode. The data concerning the pH measurements of the whole saliva samples collected over time following chewing of sour and ordinary gummy candies underwent repeated-measures three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) using a significance level of 5%. Results: Repeated-measures three-way analysis of variance demonstrated a significant interaction between the type of candy and time (p<0.001). Tukey’s test revealed that with the consumption of sour gummy candy, the salivary pH showed an initial marked exponential drop and remained lower than that observed with the consumption of the ordinary version for up to 120 seconds. Conclusion: The consumption of sour gummy candy induces a major, transient fall in salivary pH, which may represent a risk factor for dental erosion.