Soft drinks, fruit juice, sports drinks and other drinks high in acidity can cause permanent damage to young people's teeth, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia found that lifelong damage is caused by acidity to the teeth within the first 30 seconds of acid attack. High acidity drinks combined with night-time tooth grindings and reflux for a "triple-threat" of major, irreversible damage to young people's teeth.

"Dental erosion is an issue of growing concern in developed countries, and it is often only detected clinically after extensive tooth wear has occurred," Sarbin Ranjitkar, corresponding author of the study on tooth enamel erosion, said in a statement. "Such erosion can lead to a lifetime of compromised dental health that may require complex and extensive rehabilitation -- but it is also preventable with minimal intervention."

The research was conducted by the School of dentistry Honors student Chelsea Mann.  

"Such erosion can lead to a lifetime of compromised dental health that may require complex and extensive rehabilitation - but it also preventable with minimal intervention," Ranjitkar said.

He added that the number of cases of tooth erosion from the consumption of acidic beverages is on the rise in children and young adults.

"Often, children and adolescents grind their teeth at night, and they can have undiagnosed regurgitation or reflux, which brings with it acidity from the stomach. Combined with drinks high in acidity, this creates a triple threat to young people's teeth which can cause long-term damage," he said.

Ranjitkar said parents should minimize consumption of any kind of soft drinks, sports drink, fruit juice or acidic foods to their children.

"Our research has shown that permanent damage to the tooth enamel will occur within the first 30 seconds of high acidity coming into contact with the teeth. This is an important finding and it suggests that such drinks are best avoided," he said. "If high acidity drinks are consumed, it is not simply a matter of having a child clean their teeth an hour or 30 minutes later and hoping they'll be okay -- the damage is already done."

Ranjitkar suggests children consume fresh fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.

 "Although fresh fruit is naturally acidic, it is a healthier option to fruit juice, which can have additional food acids in it."

The findings were recently published in the Journal of Dentistry.