Sweet preference, consumption of sweet tea and dental caries; studies in urban and rural Iraqi populations.

The objective of the present study was to explore the association between sweet preference and the levels of dental caries in a large sample of urban and rural children and young adults in Iraq. In addition, the relationship between caries levels and sweet tea consumption was investigated. Sweet preference was assessed using a free choice method while caries was measured by the DMFT index in 4,152 males and females of differing ages living in urban and rural areas. A positive significant correlation between sweet preference and dental caries was found for both urban and rural populations. This relationship was stronger in the rural groups (r = +0.58, P < 0.001) than in the urban groups (r = +0.24, P < 0.001). The number of cups of tea consumed was positively correlated with the DMFT scores as was the number of spoonfuls of sugar taken in each cup of tea. Both these correlations were greater for the rural groups. These findings, together with those showing that sweet preference changes with exposure to sugars; the more sugars people consumed the higher their threshold for sweetness, indicates that exposure to sugar increases the intake sugar and the risk of dental caries.