[Risks associated with erosive beverages in secondary school canteens in the Netherlands]

The consumption of acidic beverages may cause dental erosion. The consumption of such beverages during school hours may contribute to the development of erosion. In order to study the extent to which children of secondary schools are exposed to potentially erosive beverages, 43 locations in 37 schools in the Netherlands were visited. In each school, all available types of beverages were registered and classified as non-erosive or potentially erosive. In addition, the number of students, type of school, opening times of the canteens and the number of vending machines were recorded. It was revealed that a wide variety of beverages is available in school canteens, of which a large number are potentially erosive (71.8 +/- 12.9%). The number of different products available, the number of different beverages available and the number of potentially erosive drinks all correlated with the number of students per school, but not with the type of education. The number of drinks available and the number of potentially erosive drinks correlated with the opening hours of the canteens and the number of vending machines.