While plant foods are essential for a healthy diet, an international study has found that tiny particles found in some plant tissues, called phytoliths, may cause wear and tear on teeth during long-term chewing and increase the frequency of visits to the dentist.
Phytoliths are tiny siliceous structures formed by plants depositing in their bodies after absorbing soluble silica from the soil. These particles are commonly found in the leaves and stems of many plants.
To study the effects of phytoliths on teeth, scientists developed a simulation device. They used polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to make artificial leaves and embedded them with opal-type phytoliths extracted from wheat.
The artificial leaves simulated real plant tissue in thickness and hardness, and were then mounted on the device and tested in repeated contact with human wisdom tooth samples to simulate the pressure and sliding during natural chewing.
The experimental results were published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. The researchers used high-resolution microscopy and spectral analysis techniques to observe in detail the physical and chemical changes in tooth enamel and artificial leaves during contact.
The results show that even seemingly soft plant tissues can cause permanent damage to tooth enamel and mineral loss after repeated chewing.
Although phytoliths will gradually wear and decompose during contact, their presence still significantly increases tooth wear.
The study also pointed out that the main mechanism of this damage is not enamel fragmentation, but a quasi-plastic deformation at the microscopic level, which is a “flexible wear” mode different from traditional cognition.
This discovery reminds us that even seemingly harmless plant foods may have unexpected effects on teeth during long-term chewing due to their microstructures.
This study provides a new perspective on the subtle relationship between diet and dental health, and also provides a new research direction for the development of future dental protective materials.