Oven-roasted vegetables may hurt teeth

A British study finds that oven-roasted vegetables, while tasty and healthy, may be destructive to teeth.

Researchers at the University of Dundee prepared ratatouille, the Provencal vegetable stew, by two different methods -- roasting vegetables in the oven for 45 minutes, and cooking them in the traditional way, in a stewpot on top of the stove.

"The acidity of ratatouille prepared by oven roasting is the same as that of some carbonated drinks that, when consumed in excess, are believed to contribute to the development of dental erosion," Dr. Graham Chadwick of the School of Dentistry, who headed the project, told The Telegraph.

Another study by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare found that a gourmet diet destroys tooth enamel with other acid foods, including balsamic vinegar, fruit teas and wine. In an October 2005 survey, 91 percent of British dentists said they had seen patients whose teeth had been harmed by acidic diets.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International