Association Between Consumption of Energy and Sports Drinks with Oral Health: A Systematic Review

Objectives: This study aimed to systematically review the association between the consumption of energy drinks and sports drinks with oral health. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in three databases (PubMed, Web of Science and Embase) without any restrictions on publication year. Original studies (clinical trials, cohort, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies) reporting the association between energy drink or sports drink consumption and oral health or its impact on oral health were included. Results: The initial search found 1196 studies, and 10 studies with a total of 5805 participants (6-89 years old) met the inclusion criteria for analysis. Six studies investigated the association between energy drinks or sports drinks and dental erosion, whereas two studies reported dental caries outcomes and two studies reported saliva outcomes. Most (70%, 7/10) of the included studies were at high or serious risk of bias. Increased frequency or higher amounts of energy drink consumption were associated with a greater risk of dental erosion, whereas the relationship between sports drinks and dental erosion was inconsistent. Evidence regarding the association between dental caries experience and energy drink consumption was controversial, and no significant differences in caries experience were observed for sports drink consumption. Conclusions: There was limited and low-quality evidence suggesting that consumption of energy drinks may be potentially associated with dental erosion experience, whereas findings related to dental caries were inconclusive. The association between sports drinks and dental erosion was inconsistent and supported by limited evidence. More well-designed studies on energy or sports drinks and oral health are needed to clarify these relationships.