Conclusion
The purpose of this experiment was to find out which fruit juice was the most acidic by observing the erosion of tooth enamel. If teeth are soaked in five different citrus fruit juices, then the tooth in the lemon juice will erode the most because tooth enamel can be eroded by citric acid. Of the fruit juices tested, lemons are the most acidic. Before beginning the experiment, I was going to test the effect of citric acid on the erosion of rocks, to be a substitute for teeth. However, rocks do not share similarities with teeth, so using rocks would not be good for this particular experiment. If I could not obtain teeth for my project, then using eggshells as a replacement would be better because eggshells have a similar structure as teeth. Both teeth and eggshells have an outer layer, for teeth it is the enamel. Because of this, the fruit juice would have eroded the eggshell in a similar way. Luckily, I was able to acquire teeth for my project.
Using teeth for this experiment is the best method because the project’s data can help with someone’s teeth. The research can be used to help prevent and slow down the erosion of a person’s teeth. By lowering the consumption of acidic foods, or fruits, especially lemons, the erosion of your teeth will slow down, resulting in stronger teeth that last longer. While researching this project, I learned about the structure of teeth, what can cause dental erosion, and information regarding citric acid.
With this experiment, my hypothesis was proven correct; the lemon juice eroded the most tooth enamel. Compared to Natalie Proviano’s experiment, the most acidic liquid caused the most demineralization on a tooth. In this experiment, the most acidic citric acid caused the most dental erosion. Both projects concluded that the most acidic substance would cause the most tooth erosion, or in her project, demineralization.
In this experiment, three trials was the best amount of trials. Although more trials is considered better to reduce outliers, the majority of the teeth’s weight did not change during the third trial. After the second trial, there was not any enamel left on the tooth for the acid to continue to dissolve, or not enough that the acidity of the juice could erode. The only increase in weight was caused by the water. This was most likely caused by human error, whereas the tooth might’ve not been dry, with excess water still collected on it. Another problem would be if the tooth had excess pulp collected on it, the weight of the pulp on the tooth could have affected the results. Also, the teeth that were used in my project had cavities and other problems, which the acidic juice would have dissolved first before reaching the tooth’s enamel. If I were to do this experiment again, I would have measured the weight of the teeth more precisely, and I would have collected the data when I had more time, so it is not rushed.
Using teeth for this experiment is the best method because the project’s data can help with someone’s teeth. The research can be used to help prevent and slow down the erosion of a person’s teeth. By lowering the consumption of acidic foods, or fruits, especially lemons, the erosion of your teeth will slow down, resulting in stronger teeth that last longer. While researching this project, I learned about the structure of teeth, what can cause dental erosion, and information regarding citric acid.
With this experiment, my hypothesis was proven correct; the lemon juice eroded the most tooth enamel. Compared to Natalie Proviano’s experiment, the most acidic liquid caused the most demineralization on a tooth. In this experiment, the most acidic citric acid caused the most dental erosion. Both projects concluded that the most acidic substance would cause the most tooth erosion, or in her project, demineralization.
In this experiment, three trials was the best amount of trials. Although more trials is considered better to reduce outliers, the majority of the teeth’s weight did not change during the third trial. After the second trial, there was not any enamel left on the tooth for the acid to continue to dissolve, or not enough that the acidity of the juice could erode. The only increase in weight was caused by the water. This was most likely caused by human error, whereas the tooth might’ve not been dry, with excess water still collected on it. Another problem would be if the tooth had excess pulp collected on it, the weight of the pulp on the tooth could have affected the results. Also, the teeth that were used in my project had cavities and other problems, which the acidic juice would have dissolved first before reaching the tooth’s enamel. If I were to do this experiment again, I would have measured the weight of the teeth more precisely, and I would have collected the data when I had more time, so it is not rushed.