Queensland Netball Body Bans Orange at Half-time, Concern Over Children’s Teeth

The apex netball body of Queensland, Australia has banned oranges at half-time amid concerns over the children’s teeth.

Most of our associations have banned oranges at half-time or are discouraging coaches from offering oranges," said a Netball Queensland spokeswoman.

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Netball Queensland's consultant dietitian Kerry Leech said acidity was the problem.

"When players come off the court at half-time they're generally a bit dehydrated and the worst thing for teeth in that environment is acid, because it erodes the enamel," Ms Leech said. "So we're encouraging fluids to re-hydrate at half-time rather than eating half an orange."

Dr Derek Lewis from the Australian Dental Association's oral health committee agreed oranges and athletes were not a good mix.

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But Queensland Citrus Growers are upset. They said it was outrageous to be discouraging children from eating fresh fruit, the Courier-Mail reported.

State manager Chris Simpson said, "citrus and kids' sport had been synonymous for generations". "I'd like to see medical research and evidence to prove fruit is unhealthy, particularly fresh citrus," Mr Simpson said.

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Orange juice has a high level of acidity, experts assert though. In an experiment to determine what liquids cause the most damage to teeth, it was found that orange juice had a high acid level, ranking behind coke in its damage potential.

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