Today, 13 September (as well as being Friday the 13th for horror lovers) is International Chocolate Day, which gives us a bit of an 'excuse' to talk about theobromine, a subject that is very curious for those patients who hear about it.
And, taking advantage of this day, or perhaps just by chance, you may have heard that chocolate has beneficial effects on our dental health, have you heard of it?
In reality, as a dental practice, we must make it clear that this is not exactly the case. Although it is true to a certain extent, in reality and to be completely true and, above all, precise, we should differentiate between cocoa and chocolate.
We regret to say to those with a sweet tooth that chocolate has no dental health benefits whatsoever, like any food with a high sugar content, it is cariogenic. Of course, eating an ounce once in a while is not going to make our teeth fall on the floor, especially if we brush after eating it, which we should be doing with all types of food, but any food with a high sugar content, such as chocolate, is potentially cariogenic.
What is true is that cocoa, the ingredient from which chocolate is made (although many contain far more sugar than anything else) contains a substance called theobromine.
Okay, and...
What is theobromine?
Theobromine is a bitter-tasting alkaloid that is closely related to caffeine. In addition to cocoa, it can be found in cola nuts and tea, although it is also produced in laboratories because it is used to increase the amount of urine produced by the kidneys, to stimulate the heart or to widen blood vessels, among other things.
What does that have to do with teeth?
This alkaloid is beginning to be investigated as an effective alternative or complement to fluoride, as it reduces the appearance of carious lesions by counteracting the action of harmful acids that demineralise our teeth. In addition, it is also linked to tooth sensitivity, so it is beginning to feature as a star ingredient in some toothpastes, although others simply include it without leaving out fluoride or other more 'basic' or traditional ingredients.
However, all this is still in the experimental phase, and its application in the field of dental health is really quite limited, pending the scientific literature to definitively support or disprove these claims.
