Using grape seed extract to reduce erosive potential of drinks

The aim of this study was to verify whether supplementation of grape seed extract (GSE) to different erosive beverages reduces their erosive potential on dentine in vitro. One-hundred dentine specimens were randomly assigned to 5 groups (n = 20/group): control-deionized water, 1%-citric acid, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, and Powerade. These groups were further subdivided into 2 subgroups (n = 10/subgroup): with and without GSE. Specimens were immersed into the respective solution (6 min, 25°C, shaking), washed with deionized water, slightly dried, and immersed in a mineral solution (60 min, pH 7.4, 37°C, not shaking). This was repeated 10 times. Dentine surface loss (dSL) was measured using an optical profilometer, and data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis with post hoc Dunn's tests and Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons (α = 0.05). The effect of GSE within each solution was analyzed with Mann-Whitney U test. Without supplementation, Coca-Cola and Powerade caused the greatest dSL, whereas citric acid and Red Bull caused some dSL. Supplementation with GSE significantly reduced dSL for all erosive beverages (p < 0.01). The control group caused no dentine loss, regardless of the presence of GSE. Supplementation of sports or soft drinks with GSE reduces their erosive potential on dentine and could be used as a preventive strategy against dental erosion, especially among frequent consumers of these beverages.