New Zealand researchers have shown that sleeping with your mouth open is linked to a more acidic oral pH, which promotes the formation of tooth decay.
Snorers should closely monitor the health of their teeth. To believe one New Zealand study published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, sleeping with your mouth open increases your risk of cavities.
Dentists from Otago University have in fact discovered that keeping your mouth open is linked to acidification of the oral environment which promotes erosion of the enamel, and consequently the appearance of cavities.
To reach this astonishing conclusion, the researchers studied the salivary pH of 10 volunteers with no cavities, and forced them to sleep with their mouths for a few nights using a nose clip. The experiment lasted for 7 days.
Significant acidity
The results show that on average the salivary pH was 6.6 when the nose clip was in place, while it was neutral (pH 7) when the volunteers could breathe through the nose. “Oral pH slowly decreased overnight,” says Joanne Choi, one of the study’s authors. But we observed that the drops in pH were greater when the participants kept their mouths open for a long time ”.
Oral acidity readings show that the pH could sometimes reach 3.6, which is that of apple juice. A value well below the critical threshold (pH 5.5) from which the enamel begins to demineralize. “This work suggests that breathing with the mouth can be a cause of dental diseases such as erosion of the enamel and cavities”, concludes the researcher.
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