Which snack increases caries risk?

Which snack increases caries risk?

• A. Dried fruit between meals
• B. Yogurt
• C. Dark chocolate
• D. Water

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that frequent exposure to fermentable sugars, especially when they linger on the teeth, increases caries risk. Dried fruit is high in sugar and very sticky, so it tends to cling to teeth and stay there longer after you eat. This prolonged contact gives oral bacteria more time to produce acid that can demineralize enamel, and snacking on it between meals means saliva has less opportunity to wash away the sugar and neutralize the acids. Yogurt seen in this context is less problematic because plain, unsweetened yogurt provides minerals like calcium that can help strengthen enamel and it doesn’t stick to teeth in the same way. Water doesn’t add sugar and helps rinse away food residue, further reducing risk. Dark chocolate can contain sugar, but it isn’t typically as sticky or as prolonged a contact risk as dried fruit, so it poses a lower risk in the same snacking-between-meals scenario.

The main idea is that frequent exposure to fermentable sugars, especially when they linger on the teeth, increases caries risk. Dried fruit is high in sugar and very sticky, so it tends to cling to teeth and stay there longer after you eat. This prolonged contact gives oral bacteria more time to produce acid that can demineralize enamel, and snacking on it between meals means saliva has less opportunity to wash away the sugar and neutralize the acids.

Yogurt seen in this context is less problematic because plain, unsweetened yogurt provides minerals like calcium that can help strengthen enamel and it doesn’t stick to teeth in the same way. Water doesn’t add sugar and helps rinse away food residue, further reducing risk. Dark chocolate can contain sugar, but it isn’t typically as sticky or as prolonged a contact risk as dried fruit, so it poses a lower risk in the same snacking-between-meals scenario.