Midnight munching leads to tooth loss, finds study

Researchers from University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) U.S. and Copenhagen University, Denmark found that eating food at midnight, often referred to as ‘nocturnal eating’ can pose serious damage to the teeth, resulting in tooth loss.

BBC News quoted Professor Damien Walmsley, Scientific adviser, British Dental Association as saying, “Eating at night, when the mouth is driest and any food remains in the mouth longer, accentuates the impact of consuming sugary and acidic food and drinks.”

2,436 people studied
Researchers evaluated records of 2,436 people, in the age group 30 to 60, who took part in a large Danish study.

The survey was conducted in 1987-1988 and all subjects were asked the same question, “Do you get up to eat at night?”

This was followed by another study with the same group in the years 1993-1994 that helped the researchers know the subjects’ number of missing teeth.

Factors like age, smoking status, and amount of sugar or carbohydrate in the subjects’ diet were also considered.

Survey results
Analysis revealed that nocturnal-eaters had almost four teeth missing than non-night eaters.

Researchers further found that this group of nocturnal eaters accounted for eight percent (173) of the total number of subjects.

Also, they consumed over a quarter of their daily calories after their evening meal, researchers found.

They further noted that nighttime-eaters were likely to wake up and nibble in the midnight at least twice a week.

Observing factors like age, smoking, and amount of sugar and carbohydrate in diet revealed that nocturnal eaters had lost more teeth at a later time in the study than non-night eaters.

Expert suggestions
According to researchers, waking up to eat at night twice a week is one of the factors of a rare night-eating syndrome.

Walmsley stressed on the importance of brushing teeth with fluoride toothpastes. He was quoted in Medical News Today as saying, “One of these brushing sessions should be just before going to bed.”

Walmsley added that, if possible, one should consume only water for at least an hour before the final brush of the day.

Toronto Sun quoted the study authors as saying, “Treatment providers should encourage good oral health care practices to reduce the risk of tooth loss associated with nocturnal eating.”

The study appears in the journal Eating Behaviours.