STORY: ACID & SOFT DRINKS

SCRIPT #559

AIRDATE: Monday, May 31, 2004

Daybreak and Midday

DHC MASTER #19 TC: 31:29 On a holiday such as Memorial Day, soft drink

consumption soars along with the hot

temperatures. And that concerns one group of

health professionals: dentists!

Dr. Linda Niessen explains in today’s

Sovt: 1:41 segment of Dental Health Check.

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MAN GETTING SOFT DRINK (VOICE-OVER)

If you have a sweet tooth, you may drink several

carbonated drinks every day.

DRINKING SOFT DRINK Your dentist may see the effects on your teeth.

But the problem is not just the sugar.

ON CAMERA (STAND-UP BRIDGE)

SUPER: Dr. Linda Niessen :13-18 High levels of acid in soft drinks promotes

Baylor College of Dentistry tooth decay because acid dissolves tooth

enamel.

SUPER: Dr. Chuck Wakefield :25-30 (“And it doesn’t really matter if it’s a regular,

Dentist or if it’s a low calorie, or non calorie, i.e. a diet drink. Because if you read the label on these, they all have citric acid, phosphoric acid, ascorbic acid. They are acidic.”)

TWO-SHOT Dr. Chuck Wakefield teaches dentistry.

He and his students tested soft drinks for

levels of acidity.

COKE Two popular cola drinks both test under 3-point O, a low pH, which translates into high acidity.

DR. WAKEFIELD (“And what this does over a short period of time,

it will demineralize or melt away the surface of the

tooth. And once that surface is gone, then the softer

tooth is exposed and decay, which we call caries in

dentistry, can just go like wildfire.”)

MORE DENTAL Saliva protects teeth because it is just the perfect

pH, about a 7 on the scale.

DR. WAKEFIELD (“And unless you test your pH with litmus paper,

you really won’t know how it is for your mouth.”)

KIMBERLY We tested Kimberly Southern’s acid level before

and after drinking a diet cola. It was a perfect 7 before taking a sip. After, her pH level dropped to

a 3 or 4.

ON CAMERA (STAND-UP CLOSE)

Remember, it’s not just sugar. it’s high acidity too. For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A & M System, I’m Dr. Linda Niessen, Channel 8 News.

SUGGESTED ANCHOR TAG:

Dentists say the greatest risk of tooth decay

is when you sip a soft drink over a long period

of time, maintaining a high level of acid for an hour or more.