Watch out for sugar

What is decisive for the development of caries is the intake of carbohydrates that the plaque bacteria can use: the simple sugars such as glucose and fructose, the double sugars sucrose, lactose and maltose, but also multiple sugars, that is, starches

Starch is partly broken down by components of the saliva into shorter units while still in the mouth, which the plaque bacteria can then use easily. The breakdown of starch into acids proceeds markedly more slowly than that of simple and double sugars, however

Frequent sweet snacks are to be regarded as particularly conducive to caries. Foods that contain sugars alone, or in combination with refined starch, are problematic

The sugars naturally present in foods are cariogenic too. The sugar content of foods is also often greatly underestimated, and in many cases the quantity is not directly apparent. It therefore makes sense to gain a rough overview of products that are particularly rich in sugar. It is often forgotten that fruit and juices contain sugar as well