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For my STEAM project, I chose to cover heartburn and how it can affect oral health. This condition is characterized by stomach acid regurgitating into the esophagus, causing an uncomfortable burning sensation. Stomach acid is very acidic, meaning that if heartburn is severe and frequent, it will cause multiple problems in the throat and mouth. One of these problems is dental erosion, which I will be going into further detail with for this project. This topic relates to the digestive system course objective of knowing the order of organ function and path of food during digestion.
The stomach is an organ in the digestive system that holds and churns food to prepare it for further digestion in the small intestine. Once food is ingested and swallowed, the stomach secretes acid to start to break down the food. In a normal digestive cycle, the contents in the stomach only travel one way, which is down. However, the contents from your stomach can flow
backward, or up, into your esophagus. This is called acid reflux, also known as heartburn (Cleveland Clinic, 2025). When this acid flows into the esophagus and mouth, it irritates the tissues inside of your esophagus, causing burning chest pain. Occasional acid reflux is uncomfortable, but it is not necessarily a problem. However, when it becomes constant, it can cause damage to your esophagus and negatively impact your oral health. This is known as GERD, which stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease (Cleveland Clinic, 2025).
For the stomach acid to backflow into your esophagus, it has to get past the valve at the bottom of the esophagus that keeps things in the stomach from coming back up. This valve is called your lower esophageal sphincter (LES). So, heartburn occurs when your LES relaxes enough to let acid pass. Temporary things can weaken the LES, like laying down after a meal, but if you have GERD, it means that this muscle relaxes often. Many things can contribute to a weakening LES, such as pregnancy, obesity, and smoking. Certain food and drinks may also contribute to the problem (Cleveland Clinic, 2025).
Your stomach acid has an extremely low pH, and your stomach can only contain this because it is coated in a thick layer of mucus to prevent it from its own acid. Other parts of your digestive tract, such as your mouth and teeth, don’t have this protection. This means that dental erosion is a complication of GERD. This can lead to pain, sensitivity, and irreversible tooth damage. Erosion occurs when the acid causes the outer layer of the teeth, known as the enamel, to soften (Healthline Media, 2023). Your saliva can help to minimize the effects of stomach acid on your teeth, but in the case of GERD, too much acid comes back up into your mouth over a long time for saliva to neutralize it all (Ranjitkar et al., 2012). Because dental erosion weakens the enamel, it allows for bacteria and acids to reach the underlying dentin more easily. This increased accessibility makes it easier for cavity-causing bacteria to penetrate and damage the tooth (Mayo Clinic, 2023).
I decided to represent how heartburn causes problems to oral health by creating a poster showing this relationship. On my poster, I made a watercolor painting of a figure with a view into the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. I represented the stomach acid backflow by painting flames coming out of the stomach into the esophagus. This is because heartburn feels like a burning sensation in the chest, which can be characterized by fire. Also on the poster is an arrow that leads from the figure’s mouth to a zoomed up view of what is going on in the mouth. Because chronic heartburn causes tooth erosion, it makes the teeth more susceptible to cavity-causing bacteria. I represented this by creating a watercolor painting showing an eroding tooth.
References
Acid reflux & gerd: What to know. Cleveland Clinic. (2025, March 31). https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17019-acid-reflux-gerd
Healthline Media. (2023, October 13). Gerd, dental erosion, and protecting your teeth. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/gerd/gerd-teeth#effect-on-teeth
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2023, November 30). Cavities and tooth decay. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cavities/symptoms-causes/syc-20352892#:~:text=Plaque%20attacks.&text=This%20erosion%20causes%20tiny%20openings,teeth%20to%20be%20more%20sensitive.
Ranjitkar, S., Kaidonis, J. A., & Smales, R. J. (2012). Gastroesophageal reflux disease and tooth erosion. International journal of dentistry. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3238367/
Hello Gabie! Great job on the project. I enjoyed your poster and love the cartoon teeth. Your damaged tooth looks like it’s been through the wringer.
The stomach uses acid to break down food for absorption in the small intestine. Acid reflux, commonly known as heartburn, is caused by this acid leaving the stomach and regurgitating into the esophagus. This regurgitation is caused by a weakened esophageal sphincter that relaxes too much, allowing stomach acid to leak. The digestive tract is protected from stomach acid by a thick layer of mucus, but the mouth does not have this added layer of protection. Those with gastroesophageal reflux disease, a chronic heartburn condition, the teeth are frequently exposed to stomach acid. The saliva in the mouth is unable to neutralize the amount and frequency of acid, and the tooth enamel is at risk. Over time, the enamel softens, and bacteria can penetrate the enamel and damage the dentin layer. This causes pain, tooth damage, and elevates the risks of dental loss and disease.