The Impact of Sports Drink Exposure on the Colour Stability of Restorative Materials: A Systematic Review

Sports drinks are becoming increasingly popular, especially among young, physically active individuals. The influence of acidic drinks on dental restorative materials, including composites and glass ionomers, is an important concern in conservative dentistry. Acidic conditions can cause material degradation, which may reduce their longevity and clinical performance. We aimed to examine the effect of sports drink exposure on the colour stability of composite and glass ionomer materials. This systematic review was conducted based on records published from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2024, according to the PRISMA statement guidelines, using the databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase. Based on the established inclusion and exclusion criteria, 17 studies were selected for this review, of which 12 were included in a meta-analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated a statistically significant increase in colour change (ΔE) for microhybrid composites and nanocomposites after immersion in sports drinks for one month (SMD = 3.04; 95% CI: 0.67 to 5.41, and SMD = 3.00; 95% CI: 1.08 to 4.92, respectively). No such significant differences were observed for nanohybrid materials (SMD = 1.64; p-value = 0.579). Despite the findings of this systematic review, the extent of material degradation observed in in vitro studies cannot be directly translated to clinical oral conditions, as factors such as salivary buffering capacity and variable exposure to sports drinks influence outcomes.