Ultra-processed food consumption and dental caries in adolescents from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort study

Greater intake of ultra-processed foods may trigger the onset of dental caries in adolescents.

This study clarified the correlation between the rate of consumption of ultra-processed foods and the possibility of dental caries occurring among adolescents. Researchers examined 996 adolescents with regards to their dietary choices and presence of dental caries. 

Researchers noticed that dental caries were prevalent among adolescents who ate larger portions of ultra-processed foods regularly. "Ultra-processed food consumption was associated with greater caries burdens in young adolescents," the authors concluded.