The researchers found that acid contents in white wine can potentially create rough spots and grooves in teeth that allow chemicals in other beverages, such as coffee and tea, to penetrate deeper into the teeth, triggering the risk of dark dental stains.
To reach their findings, NYU dental scientists, led by Ms. Cristina M. Dobrescu, a third-year student at New York University College of Dentistry, carried out experiments with six cows' teeth, soaking them in either white wine, red wine, or water for an hour before exposing them to tea.
They found the teeth soaked in white wine before being immersed in black tea were significantly more stained than those immersed in water before exposure to tea.
To evaluate staining levels of the cows’ teeth, whose surface closely resembles that of human teeth, the scientists used a spectrophotometer, an instrument that measures color intensities.
"Dipping teeth in white wine for one hour is similar to the effect of sipping the wine with dinner," said Dr. Mark Wolff, professor and chairman of the Department of Cariology & Comprehensive Care at NYU’s College of Dentistry, who oversaw the study.
"The acids in wine create rough spots and grooves that enable chemicals in other beverages that cause staining, such as coffee and tea, to penetrate deeper into the tooth," Wolff noted.
At the same time, the researchers’ team maintained that red wine is still worse for dental stains than white. Cows’ teeth soaked in red wine became significantly darker than those in the white wine group after exposure to tea, probably because of a highly-pigmented substance in red wine known as chromogen, the team said.
“Red wine, unlike white, contains a highly pigmented substance known as chromagen,” Wolff explained. The same compound is also found in tea.
Wolff suggests that the connoisseurs of the wines don’t need to cut back on their consumption just yet. Wolff said that white wine is not the culprit itself, but it’s what a person eats and drinks while consuming it that counts. “If you’re consuming white wine, white grapes, and cheese, you aren’t going to see any staining,” he says.
“The best way to prevent staining caused by wine, as well as other beverages, is to use a tooth paste containing a whitening agent,” Wolff suggests.
The study, co-investigated by Denise Estafan, DDS, an associate professor in the NYU College of Dentistry, was presented at the annual meeting of the International Association for Dental Research in Miami.
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