Source: The Mercury, 27 June, 1992, p.3 Source: The Mercury, 27 June, 1992, p.3
Eating lots of fruit can rot your teeth, and word has it the apple- growing areas of Tasmania have the worst examples. Findings on the tooth decay effects of fruit come from a South African study of farm workers. The study found those who regularly ate lots of fruit were twice as likely to suffer dental decay compared with those who did not eat as much fruit. It suggested the amount and type of fruit eaten could have more of an effect on the incidence of tooth decay than the amount of sugar added to food. "It is concluded that a high consumption of various fruits over a long period is associat- ed with a high caries ex- perience", said the Uni- versity of Stellenbosch study. But Sydney Professor Peter Barnard said the findings were not surprising and should not discourage people from eating fruit. Professor Barnard, associate professor in preventive den- tistry at Sydney University, said there was anecdotal evidence of high rates of dental decay in apple-growing areas such as Tasmania. Simil- arly, the study's fruit-eating groups had twice as much dental decay as the control group, with citrus fruit lovers showing the highest decay rates.
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Index - Chance and Basic Probability