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London, Dec 6 (ANI): Drinking a cup of black tea a day can help prevent tooth erosion, suggests a new research.

According to researchers, the beverage protects teeth from rotting and has no effect on the enamel.

However, the researchers found that fizzy drinks and orange juice cause dramatic tooth erosion.

The finding follows recent study, which suggested that tea is a healthier drink than water because of the antioxidants it contains could protect against cancer.

Speaking of the latest study, Dr Carrie Ruxton, of the Tea Advisory Panel, said the protective effects of tea could be down to several of its natural ingredients.

She said it is a natural source of fluoride, so it could make tooth enamel resistant to acid.

Also, tannins in tea appear to inhibit salivary amylase an enzyme in saliva from breaking down dietary starches into sugars in the mouth.

To reach the conclusion, lead researcher Dr Mohamed Bassiouny of Philadelphias School of Dentistry, immersed 36 extracted molars in different liquids and analysed them over 20 weeks.

Dr Bassiounys study aimed to identify the erosive effects on teeth enamel of tea, without the addition of milk and sugar, and to compare it with that of cola, orange juice, vinegar and water, the Daily Express quoted Ruxton, as saying.

The teeth immersed in tea, like plain water, showed no erosive potential. By contrast, teeth immersed in vinegar saw complete erosion of the enamel, while those immersed in cola and orange juice also showed considerable erosion by 20 weeks, the expert added. (ANI)