This week was the eagerly awaited result and conclusion of an observational science investigation about the effects of certain liquids on our teeth. Last week we had set up the investigation using hard boiled eggs as a substitute for human teeth and placed the eggs in water, coke, blackcurrant squash, orange juice and vinegar. Egg shells work particularly well in this investigation because they are similar in structure to our teeth.
- One egg was placed in a jar with no liquids, just air
- One in water
- One in coke
- One in blackcurrant squash
- One in orange juice
- One in vinegar
When we came to look at the results, apart from the horror of seeing the eggs turn mouldy and, in some cases, breaking up and rotting away, we could see the effect these liquids could potentially have on our teeth. We concluded that those liquids which contain acids and/ or sugar such as citric acid, malic acid and sugary drinks like squash did the most damage. Water we thought was good for our teeth because it didn’t contain sugar or acid.
The children really enjoyed conducting this investigation and creating a fair test to draw a correct conclusion.
