ENERGY AND PRE-WORKOUT AND THE RISK OF EROSIVE TOOTH WEAR AND DENTAL CARIES AMONG ATHLETES AND PHYSICALLY ACTIVE ADOLESCENTS – A LITERATURE REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.3(51).2026.6424Keywords:
Enamel Erosion, Energy Drinks, Athletes, Sports Medicine, Dental Prevention, SalivaAbstract
The growing consumption of energy and pre-workout drinks among adolescents and physically active individuals raises significant concerns regarding their impact on oral health. This literature review summarizes current knowledge on the effects of these beverages on hard dental tissues, focusing on risk factors among active patients. An analysis of medical literature from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar was conducted, including peer-reviewed articles (in vitro, in situ, clinical, and survey studies) published between 2020 and 2026. Keywords used: energy drinks, teeth, acid beverage, erosion, enamel. Results show that energy and pre-workout drinks have an extremely low pH (averaging 3.3) and high titratable acidity, which rapidly reduces enamel microhardness. Sugar-free variants, although lacking cariogenic potential, are equally erosive. Athletes constitute a high-risk group due to physiological hyposalivation during exercise, which, combined with beverage consumption around training time, prevents natural acid neutralization. This necessitates proactive preventive measures in dental practices. It is crucial to educate patients on delaying tooth brushing immediately after acid exposure to avoid irreversible post-erosive abrasion. Professional remineralization and close monitoring of orthodontic patients are also necessary.
References
AlHelal, F., AlHomaizi, Z., AlOmair, M., Yousef, L. W., & Qudeimat, M. A. (2025). Quantitative and spectroscopic assessment of early-stage enamel erosion induced by popular acidic beverages. BMC Oral Health, 25(1), 1598. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-07009-8
Blatter, N., Hamza, B., Attin, T., & Wegehaupt, F. J. (2023). Supplementation of energy drinks with green tea extract: Effect on in vitro Abrasive/Erosive dentin wear. Oral Health & Preventive Dentistry, 21, 391–396. https://doi.org/10.3290/j.ohpd.b4586835
Dziarnowska, J., Fiks, J., Stodulski, M., Kmiecik, I., Kozłowski, S., Kowalczyk, O., Kukla, M., Kasprzycka, I., Bulicz, A., & Zdunek, M. (2026). Beyond the diet impact of Night-Shift work on obesity risk. Quality in Sport, 59, 72792. https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2026.59.72792
Gálvez-Bravo, F., Edwards-Toro, F., Contador-Cotroneo, R., Opazo-García, C., Contreras-Pulache, H., Goicochea-Palomino, E. A., Cruz-Gonzales, G., & Moya-Salazar, J. (2025). Erosive potential of sports, energy drinks, and isotonic solutions on athletes’ teeth: A systematic review. Nutrients, 17(3), 403. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17030403
Grzesiak-Gasek, I., & Dębska-Łasut, K. (2026). Occurrence of dental caries, the prevalence of hygiene and dietary habits, and the influence of the workout session on the selected parameters of saliva in youth swimmers. Dental and Medical Problems, 63(1), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.17219/dmp/187213
Hamza, B., Rojas, S. A. P., Körner, P., Attin, T., & Wegehaupt, F. J. (2021). Green tea extract reduces the erosive dentine wear caused by energy drinks in vitro. Oral Health & Preventive Dentistry, 19, 573–578. https://doi.org/10.3290/j.ohpd.b2183087
Iosif, C., Cuc, S., Prodan, D., Moldovan, M., Petean, I., Badea, M. E., Sava, S., Tonea, A., & Chifor, R. (2022). Effects of acidic environments on dental structures after bracket debonding. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(24), 15583. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415583
Jácome, E. V. M., Bessa, M. S. de, Borges, B. C. D., & Torres, A. C. S. P. (2024). Addition of substances to reduce the erosive potential of acidic beverages to tooth enamel: A scoping review. International Journal of Dental Hygiene, 22(3), 758–768. https://doi.org/10.1111/idh.12791
Jácome, E. V. M., Santos, M. M. D., Moura, D. M. D., Santos, P. B., Inácio, M. do S. da C., & Torres, A. C. S. P. (2025). Erosive potential of energy drink modified by calcium formulations on dental enamel: An in vitro study. PloS One, 20(12), e0327528. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327528
Kawałko, K., Rynio, G., Pondel, K., Karaś, A., & Bielewicz, K. (2022). Health effects of energy drinks on children, adolescents, and young adults. Journal of Education, Health and Sport, 12(8), 1021–1025. https://doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2022.12.08.086
Khan, K., Qadir, A., Trakman, G., Aziz, T., Khattak, M. I., Nabi, G., Alharbi, M., Alshammari, A., & Shahzad, M. (2022). Sports and energy drink consumption, oral health problems and performance impact among elite athletes. Nutrients, 14(23), 5089. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14235089
Lind, E., Suominen, A., Loimaranta, V., Pöllänen, M., & Laine, M. (2025). Awareness of erosive tooth wear and the consumption of acidic beverages among a group of Finnish adolescents. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 84, 509–516. https://doi.org/10.2340/aos.v84.44568
Lisik, B. P., Sado, A., Simlat, A., Skowierzak, F., Szada-Borzyszkowski, K., Rogowska, W., Sawczuk, K., Wręczycki, M., Kozieł-Kwit, S., Kozyra, K., Kawecki, J., & Stachoń, M. (2026). Energy drinks as a risk factor for systemic disorders: The role of caffeine and taurine - a literature review. Journal of Education, Health and Sport, 92, 72516. https://doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2026.92.72516
Małajewicz, I., Nawrocka, N., Bednarek, F., Hojda, A., Rodak, H., Plinta, O., Pietrzyk, M., Oskroba, K., & Stępień, D. (2026). The effect of physical activity on anxiety symptoms in adults: A literature review. Pedagogy and Psychology of Sport, 32, 69922. https://doi.org/10.12775/PPS.2026.32.69922
Martínez, L. M., Lietz, L. L., Tarín, C. C., García, C. B., Tormos, J. I. A., & Miralles, E. G. (2024). Analysis of the pH levels in energy and pre-workout beverages and frequency of consumption: A cross-sectional study. BMC Oral Health, 24(1), 1082. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-024-04843-0
Melbye, E. L., Naess, L., Berge, A.-K. B., & Bull, V. H. (2020). Consumption of acidic drinks, knowledge and concern about dental erosive wear in Norwegian high school students. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 78(8), 590–598. https://doi.org/10.1080/00016357.2020.1761030
Mitic, A. D., Gasic, J. Z., Barac, R. G., Radenkovic, G. S., Sunaric, S. M., Popovic, J. Z., & Nikolic, M. M. (2020). Ultrastructural changes in the cemento-enamel junction caused by acidic beverages: An in vitro study. Microscopy Research and Technique, 83(2), 91–98. https://doi.org/10.1002/jemt.23392
Silva, J.-G.-V.-C., Martins, J.-P.-G., de Sousa, E.-B.-G., Fernandes, N.-L.-S., Meira, I.-A., Sampaio, F.-C., de Oliveira, A.-F.-B., & Pereira, A.-M.-B.-C. (2021). Influence of energy drinks on enamel erosion: In vitro study using different assessment techniques. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry, 13(11), e1076–e1082. https://doi.org/10.4317/jced.57788
Tanner, T., Harju, L., Päkkilä, J., Patinen, P., Tjäderhane, L., & Anttonen, V. (2020). Consumption of snacks and dental caries among Finnish young men: A cross-sectional epidemiological study. Odontology, 108(3), 486–492. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10266-019-00473-z
von Bremen, J., Kloukos, D., Bettenhäuser-Hartung, L., & Schmid, J. Q. (2025). Energy drink-induced white spot lesions on labial and lingual tooth surfaces in adolescents treated with lingual appliances: A retrospective cohort study. Clinical Oral Investigations, 29(7), 370. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-025-06445-8
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Gabriela Pilch, Agnieszka Ciepiela, Zuzanna Kucia, Michał Zemowski; Małgorzata Berowska; Jakub Sagan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles are published in open-access and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Hence, authors retain copyright to the content of the articles.
CC BY 4.0 License allows content to be copied, adapted, displayed, distributed, re-published or otherwise re-used for any purpose including for adaptation and commercial use provided the content is attributed.
