Boise Dentist Blog
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Sugar Consumption and Dental Health
Sugar Consumption and Dental Health
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has waged war on excess sugar consumption. In his new documentary, Jamie's Sugar Rush, he highlights the "devastating" effects sugar consumption is having on people's dental health. Of particular concern is how sugar is negatively impacting children's' oral health.
According to Dr. Nigel Carter of the British Dental Health Foundation, "The effects that sugar consumption is having on children's dental health cannot be understated. Shockingly, a recent study found half of eight year olds have visible signs of decay on their teeth and a third of children are starting school with visible signs of tooth decay.
"These figures are alarming but are unfortunately only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the effect sugar is having on dental health. More regularly we are hearing first-hand accounts from dental professionals about just how children are suffering due to sugar and this is being played out in every dental surgery across the country.
"Tooth decay is the number one reason for hospitalization in children and while we cannot blame the food and drink industry entirely, they do have to take a sizable portion of the blame. We believe that if decisive action is not taken soon, then all of our dental health, not just children's, will continue to suffer the consequences.
"Mr. Oliver has highlighted the fact that 26,000 primary school aged children were admitted to hospital due to tooth decay last year, with children tooth extractions costing the NHS around £30 million per year, the key cause being tooth decay. This cannot be allowed to continue."
Mr. Oliver and Dr. Carter are lobbying for regulations in the food and drink industries, as well as government to help reduce sugar intake.
While this article focuses on the dental health problems in Britain, the U.S. has a similar sugar crisis.
Source: Medical News Today