Dental therapists pledge support for ‘anti-sugar’ campaign
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- Published: Tuesday, 09 June 2015 07:53
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The British Association of Dental Therapists (BADT) has pledged its support for a pressure group working towards reversing the nation’s addiction to the ‘sweet stuff’. BADT president, Fiona Sandom, said: “There is a real appetite for change over the unnecessary and unhealthy amount of sugar in our diets and it is up to all health professionals to ensure we educate our patients of the full health benefits of cutting sugar out of diets.”
The BADT, that represents 600 dental therapists throughout the UK, believes that health professionals need to have a joined-up approach in tackling dental decay and related health issues caused by a high sugar diet. Action on Sugar is made up of across-the-board health experts, united in their concern about sugar and its effects on health. It leads with an unprecedented call to tackle and reverse the obesity and diabetes epidemic.
Earlier this year, figures from the latest Children's Dental Health Survey revealed huge inequalities in the dental health of children, with children in lower socio-economic families:
- Almost twice as likely to have decay
- More likely to experience toothache
- Having difficulty in finding an NHS dentist
- Facing problems caused by their oral health.
Across the UK, three in 10 five-year olds have visible signs of decay and by the time they reach 15, this increases to nearly one in two. At the time of the release, Public Health England's director of dental public health, Dr Sandra White, said the survey highlighted “the need to urgently reduce the amount of sugary snacks and drinks in our children's diets”. According to the British Dental Association, Brits eat around 700g of sugar a week: that’s an average of 140 teaspoons per person.
A study published in September 2014 said that this global recommended sugar intake should be halved to combat dental cavities – and taken even further down to an ideal target of 3%. In March, a new World Health Organization (WHO) guideline recommended adults and children reduce their daily intake of free sugars to less than 10% of their total energy intake.
A further reduction to below 5% or roughly 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day would provide additional health benefits. Additionally, the WHO and the UK Health Forum predicts that the proportion of overweight and obese males and females is set to increase in most European countries by 2030, leading to an obesity crisis. In the UK, 33% of women and 36% of men are forecast to be obese in 2030.
Commenting on the BADT’s support for Action on Sugar, president, Fiona Sandom, said: “There is a real appetite for change over the unnecessary and unhealthy amount of sugar in our diets and it is up to all health professionals to ensure we educate our patients of the full health benefits of cutting sugar out of diets. Dental therapists are well placed to offer guidance from an oral health perspective but, in doing so, can also help to reverse this alarming obesity and diabetes epidemic that threatens the wellbeing of a nation hooked on sugar.”
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