Unsweetened sparkling water may be a safer choice for teeth than sugary soda, according to early research that measured how different drinks affect acidity in the mouth.
The study found that while sparkling water temporarily lowers oral pH, the effect is less severe than the drop caused by soda. Tooth enamel begins to dissolve when mouth pH falls below 5.5.
Researchers tested four beverages—sugar-sweetened soda, regular sparkling water, calcium-fortified sparkling water, and plain water—in 20 adults. Each participant drank all four drinks, allowing the team to compare effects while minimizing individual differences.
Instead of just measuring the acidity of the drinks themselves, the team tracked salivary pH in real time. This approach revealed how the mouth responds immediately after consumption. Soda caused the steepest drop in pH, with levels significantly lower than water at both 2 and 20 minutes after drinking.
Regular sparkling water led to a temporary decline in pH after 2 minutes, while calcium-fortified sparkling water showed a delayed drop at 5 minutes. In both cases, pH returned to near baseline within 20 minutes. Saliva helped restore normal acidity after all drinks, keeping short-term pH above the threshold linked to enamel damage.
Wajiha Zulfiqar, a graduate student in Nutrition Science at Purdue University, presented the findings at NUTRITION 2026, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. “Directly comparing different beverages using the same experimental framework allowed us to evaluate the effects of sparkling water relative to both soda—a higher-risk beverage—and plain water as a neutral reference,” she said.
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The study suggests that swapping soda for unsweetened sparkling water could reduce the risk of enamel erosion. But they caution that real-world effects depend on how often someone drinks it, how long teeth are exposed, and whether the beverage contains sugar.
For those who drink sparkling water regularly, the brief dip in pH might not be a major concern—especially if they practice good oral hygiene. The beverage industry could tweak formulations to make acidic drinks less harmful.
The team plans to study the long-term impact of sparkling water on oral health, including whether it affects other factors that influence healthy teeth and gums. The results offer a small but practical takeaway: If you’re choosing between soda and sparkling water, the latter appears to be the gentler option.
Zulfiqar emphasized that the research is preliminary. The abstract was reviewed and selected by experts for presentation at NUTRITION 2026 but has not yet undergone peer review for publication in a scientific journal.
It is a safer choice.
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