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An apple a day, so the saying goes, keeps the doctor away.

But the dentist might disagree - after it was revealed that apples can be as bad for your teeth as sweets and fizzy drinks, the Daily Mail reported. 

Dental experts are warning that the fruit should no longer be treated as snacks between meals because of its high level of sugar and acidity which erode teeth.

The British Dental Association is advising that the safest approach is to eat apples only at mealtimes --and then rinse out the mouth with water to minimise tooth damage.

New research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that the typical modern apple now has a sugar content of up to 15 per cent, which means it contains the equivalent of four teaspoons of sugar.

While it is widely recognised that sugar can cause decay, the threat posed by acids, which strip away tooth enamel, is less well-known.

Tom Sanders, a professor in nutrition and dietetics at King's College, London, studied tooth decay in youngsters and found that those from vegan or 'fruitarian' families, who eat only fruit, often had the worst teeth.

Professor Sanders said: 'You expect such children to have a low sugar diet but in fact they were getting so much sugar from fruit and juices that it was unhealthy.

'The research shows that snacking on fruit between meals is now bad advice.'

The news is likely to come as a shock to all those raised on the idea that eating an apple a day was as good as brushing your teeth.

Experts say that brushing your teeth immediately after eating an apple does more harm than good, because enamel softened by the acid attack is scrubbed away by the toothbrush. They recommend that at least half an hour is left before brushing.

Even the traditional advice that apples were good for you because they contained high levels of vitamin C is now questionable.

Research shows that the vitamin C content slowly declines over time, and many apples are stored for weeks or even months before consumption.

This is the latest blow for fruit fans - in November last year, researchers found fruit teas can damage tooth enamel. Brands containing fruits such as lemon, raspberry and blackcurrant can dissolve enamel.

Researchers at the University Dental Hospital of Manchester placed extracted teeth in three different liquids, a blackcurrant, ginseng and vanilla herbal tea, traditional tea and water.

After 14 days - the equivalent of drinking three cups a day for 18 years - the herbal tea had dissolved a layer of enamel from the tooth several thousandths of a millimetre thick, researchers reported.