Presentations 2020: Ortho&Paeds

412 - Milk alternatives, what advice should dental professionals be giving?

MI Thalukder H Torofdar M Collard
Presented by: Mohammed Thalukder
Cardiff Dental Hospital

Introduction Milk alternatives can be derived from many sources including nuts, seeds, legumes and grains. Worldwide sales of dairy free alternatives have grown to £9.2 billion as of 2017, with a potential growth of £26.3 billion by 2024. These milks are being chosen due to vegan/plant-based diets, allergies, lactose intolerance, taste preferences, or consumed with combination of other beverages like tea and coffee. Animal welfare rights, use of antibiotics and hormones in cattle, are also at the forefront. What does this mean for the dental profession? Dairy-free and dairy-alternatives are beverages that adults and children can consume. Any substance that enters the mouth however will react with enzymes in saliva, changing the environment in the oral cavity and therefore have the potential to cause dental caries. Methods Dairy-based substitutes and dairy-free alternatives were sourced from popular supermarket websites to produce a comprehensive list of the most popular purchased milk alternatives worldwide, including lactose free, soya-based, pea plant-based, nuts, coconut, oats, flex and hemp, and finally rice based dairy-free milk. In the case of each milk alternative the sugar, calcium and vitamin D content was examined. Results Cow milk sugar content ranged from 10.8g – 12.3g. Lactose free from 6.5g – 12g. Soy milk ranged from 0g – 19g. Pea milk 0g – 17.7g. Nut milk 0g – 17.25g. Coconut milk 0.5g – 18.75g. Oat, flax, and hemp milk 0g – 18.75g and Rice milk 8.25g – 18g. Conclusion The dental benefit of consuming cow’s milk is well known. The sugar present is lactose which is non-fermentable and thus non-cariogenic. Alternative milks often have fermentable sugars like sucrose. Milk alternatives listed can be described as second best. Dental professionals need to be able to give advice to patients relating to bovine milk and milk alternatives. Patients must be informed of the nutritional content and potential links with dental decay.
Consent Statement: There are no details on individual patients reported within the abstract.

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