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A study published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that vegetarians are much more likely to suffer from tooth decay, lower (more acidic) salivary pH levels, and lower stimulated saliva flow than control subjects that were matched by sex and age. In addition, plant-based diets pose a greater risk for fractures according to a related, peer-reviewed study of over 55,000 people.
Specifically, the study found that those who consumed a vegetarian diet were:
…much more likely than age- and sex-matched controls to have dental erosions on some tooth surfaces, lower salivary pH levels, and lower stimulated saliva flow. (1)
Conclusions from the study found that:
The rate of flow of saliva and consumption of vinegar-containing foods, citrus fruits, and acid berries was associated with the dental erosions noted. Diets that are excessively high in fruit juices were also found to erode dental enamel. (1)
The study confirms what Dr. Weston A. Price DDS in his book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, discovered on his 10-year journey around the world studying isolated, traditional societies still untouched by what he termed “the displacing foods of modern commerce.”
Dr. Price found that indigenous vegetarian cultures suffered from tooth decay at a higher rate than either the omnivore or the almost completely carnivorous cultures he studied.
The published study concluded that eating a vegetarian or vegan diet does not in any way impart a dental health advantage over non-vegetarians. Criticisms of What The Health, the pro-vegan documentary, reveal similarly ignored research.
The baloney-based claims in the book Blue Zones and the vegan bible The China Study are similarly misguided with shocking factual oversights, omissions, and data fudging.
Tooth Decay Signals Poor Immunity and Nutrient Deficiencies
Tooth decay is an indication of lowered immune function and a higher susceptibility to degenerative disease in general. Ever heard of the term “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”? This refers to the well known historical practice of examining a horse’s teeth and gums to assess overall health elsewhere in the body.
People can similarly assess their level of general health and whether it is improving or declining by observing the health of their teeth and gums.
Rami Nagel, author of the book Cure Tooth Decay, states that the dentinal-fluid transport mechanism is how the body controls the rate of tooth decay including whether or not it occurs at all. When tooth decay is present, Mr. Nagel says this is a sign that blood sugar levels are askew and that certain critical nutrients such as the fat-soluble activators A, D, and K2 are lacking in the diet.
Vegetarian diets are typically much higher in grains and sugars (from fruit) than non-vegetarians, and when the body senses too much sugar at one time, this can initiate demineralization of the teeth. Ever noticed how your teeth can get a bit sensitive for a period of time after a very sugary dessert or a day that included too many grain-based foods and treats?
If you are vegetarian and have noted a problem with dental decay, incorporating grass-fed meats, raw grass-fed dairy, wild seafood, and high vitamin cod liver oil into your diet will introduce the critical nutrients that are necessary to reverse caries and prevent further problems.
Moreover, whenever sweet foods such as fruit are consumed, they should always be eaten in the presence of healthy fat like cream to maintain stable blood sugar and not disrupt the body’s ability to transport minerals.
Reference and More Information
(1) The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 27 Dec 2011, 712-738
Well there’s gaining weight, and then there’s gaining fat…
Just because your BMI is low you need not be underweight, since BMI is highly flawed. What you need to look at is the relationship between fat, muscle, water and totality.
Being an underweight veggie I would hazard a guess that you need to gain both a bit of fat, but mostly muscle, in which case you should be doing a large amount of weight training (not so much cardio), and eating a lot of protein and unprocessed, whole grain foods, like brown rice(8% protein), fullgrain bread(15-25% protein), nuts(for the healthy oils and fats), eggs(unless you have high cholesterol), and milk and milk products. Milk is easily one of the best muscle builders out there.
Cheese is way better than cream, even to balance the ‘imbalance’ by eating the fruit. Cream is too unbalanced even in that regard. I know from experience. Cream is more likely to cause inflammation, due to the excessive fat, out of balance.
While I appreciate the desire to share your thoughts about optimal nutrition for dental health, you are not fully quoting the article and the study and therefore it is somewhat misleading. The study states that “there is little evidence that vegetarians have better dental health than do nonvegetarians”. The article is really focused on whether a vegetarian diet could provide any advantages for dental health, and the studies point to the answer being “no”; the article does not, however, prove the opposite either – that vegetarian diets are harmful or incrediby cariogenic. So, really, it seems totally inconclusive. That’s not to say that vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore diet don’t have their advantages or disadvantages… it’s just that this article does not seem to confirm this one way or another.
sarah look in the mirror. you don’t look very healthy. it could be diet related, you know
funny comments, nutritional deficiencies occur in everyone including vegetarians, vegans raw foodists etc .
why because they don’t eat a well balanced diet in order for enamel to form it requires low phytate acidity(not eating too many grains and beans as most vegetarians/vegans do), vit a (lots of brightly colored veges and fruits red, orange etc) and d(sunshine) and good absorbtion .
Thus doesn’t mean all vegans vegetarians will be deficient but only some will depending on what they eat how much the cleanse for absorbtion etc
Thus the only thing one is required to do is include those foods and cleanse
I clicked on the link to view the article. It was actually originally published in 1988, so it is not a new study at all. Nothing in the article claimed that vegetarians are at a disadvantage when it comes to dental health–they concluded from the study that there were no significant differences. I’m puzzled why you used this article to conclude that eating animal products is superior for dental health.
If you have switched to a more traditional diet based on Dr. Price’s research and still have not seen results, add fermented food into your diet and incorporate oil pulling to grow beneficial bacteria and rid of bad bacteria.
Connie
I am looking for those who developed serious cavities and were able to revert them!
Anyone here?
I am already trying the codfish liver, butter, seafood, fish, milk, kale, vitamin A, D; K, calcium and phosphorus but so far no result yet. The teeth have not healed a bit. I am also mostly away from grains and processed sugar. Have been almost 1 month on it. I have been fish-vegetarian for the past year.
Any suggestion?
In 2004 I became a vegetarian. My general health improved and also my blood sugars. In 2006 I became a near-vegan (I still ate ocasional eggs and milk). In 2007 I develop several tooh cavities, and then of course I stop being a vegan and returned to milk. I lost one tooth. In 2011, I started eating fish again, but now I still have one serious cavity. I am now trying to revert it by more fish and eggs, codfish liver oil and spirulina but it is still not working.
My conclusion: vegetarians are generally much healthier for a lot of conditions, but not for dental health. And even omnivorous do not ingest the enough amount of calcium and vitamin K and D.
Girls, boys, countrymen, let’s not get too hyped up with this “vegans get more cavities” article. I worked for the Agri dept, you know, the Monsanto friends, and if there’s anything I’ve learned is that any science study can be proven with the right number of scientists. Obviously the cattlemen want you to have “What’s for dinner.” let me assure you that we’re all naturally plant eaters and thus, would do very well not contributing to the dentists and doctors of our fair land. I love how this grass roots movement is taking over. We vegans have found the fountain of youth and there is no stopping us. I’ve been vegan for a month and an oil puller and I have to say with all my strength, I’ve never felt better except when I was young, in the army. Now at my age of 60 years young, I’m cookin’ once again. I can hit my golf ball 260 yards with my driver, fairly accuracy. No, very accurately. I’m a Titan.
Wow! A whole month? Problems take a lot longer than that to show up .Btw, humans are not natural plant eaters but that’s a topic for another day. How’s your vegan diet now?