Study: Sparkling Water Less Harmful to Teeth Than Soda
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- Wajiha Zulfiqar, a graduate student in Nutrition Science at Purdue University, presented the preliminary research on Sunday, July 26, during NUTRITION 2026, the American Society of Nutrition's flagship annual meeting in National Harbor, Maryland.
- Sugar-sweetened soda produced the greatest and longest-lasting increase in mouth acidity, with salivary pH significantly lower than after plain water at both 2 minutes and 20 minutes post-consumption.
- The study tested four beverages — sugar-sweetened soda, regular sparkling water, calcium-fortified sparkling water, and plain water — in 20 adults, with every participant drinking each beverage to control for individual variation.
- Regular unsweetened sparkling water caused a temporary pH decline at 2 minutes, while calcium-fortified sparkling water produced a decrease at 5 minutes — both returning to near-baseline levels within 20 minutes.
- Throughout the experiment, salivary pH remained above the 5.5 threshold at which tooth enamel begins to dissolve, supporting the framing of sparkling water as a lower-risk alternative to soda.
- Researchers measured salivary pH in real time rather than relying solely on beverage acidity, a design choice Zulfiqar said provides "a more realistic understanding" of how these drinks may affect oral health.
- The findings have not yet completed peer review and the researchers cautioned that everyday erosion risk also depends on how often someone drinks a beverage, exposure duration, and whether it contains sugar.
Why it matters: For the millions of consumers swapping soda for sparkling water to cut sugar, the 20-adult crossover study offers preliminary reassurance: the swap may reduce enamel-erosion risk, since pH stayed above the 5.5 damage threshold. But the abstract hasn't been peer-reviewed and the team only measured brief pH changes, not long-term dental outcomes.
