Dentists' survey reveals the truth behind our bad dental health habits

Dentists' survey reveals the truth behind our bad dental health habits

Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 40, Issue 6.

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  Most dentists say children have their first filling under five years.

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  In all, 56 per cent name sugary drinks as main cause of children's tooth decay.

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  In all, 40 per cent believe children's teeth are less healthy than five years ago.

Almost half of UK dentists believe that there is a correlation between children being overweight and having above average tooth decay, and a similar proportion name sugary drinks as the main cause of a child's dental caries, according to a survey of dentists commissioned by the Natural Hydration Council (NHC) in partnership with the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF). Although not claiming a causal link between obesity and dental health, these survey findings follow the publication of a series of academic papers that have studied the issue and indicate that further study could be merited. A total of 278 dentists completed the BDHF. Inadequate tooth brushing (14 per cent) was seldom named as the main cause of children's dental caries in comparison to the sugary food (27 per cent) and sugary drinks (56 per cent) they consume. In all, 53 per cent of dentists believe children drink squash most often through the day, whereas 37 per cent think they drink fizzy drinks. Furthermore dentists say that 29 per cent of parents seldom offer children water as an alternative. Only 53 per cent of parents act on the dental health advice they are given.

The BDHF and NHC have produced a downloadable resource for parents and children: www.naturalhydrationcouncil.org.uk/Article/Display/68

To see the full dentists' survey go to: info@naturalhydrationcouncil.org.uk