Chewing gum could save billions of pounds
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- Published: Friday, 02 June 2017 07:43
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Chewing just one additional piece of sugarfree gum each day could save £3.3 billion worldwide on dental expenditures from treating tooth decay, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Dentistry. Other research has shown the NHS could save up to £8.2 million per annum if all twelve year olds in the UK were to increase their chewing of sugarfree gum.
The study, a first of its kind globally, was funded by Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and independently conducted by the Institute of Empirical Health Economics in Germany (IFEG) with input from an international scientific steering committee comprised of thought-leaders in dental and public health and economics, including Prof Elizabeth Kay of Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.
Researchers modelled a potential decrease in dental care costs from tooth decay for 25 industrialised countries including the UK. The study follows a piece of research in 2016 which revealed that the NHS could save up to £8.2 million per annum if all twelve year olds in the UK were to increase their chewing of sugarfree gum. Conducted by the York Health Economics Consortium and Peninsula Dental School, Plymouth University, with funding from Wrigley, the study was an initial exploration into the potential cost savings that chewing of sugarfree gum could bring.
Commenting on the research, Professor Liz Kay said "Good policy making in all areas of health is driven by health economic analyses. For some reason, until now, oral health has failed to be subjected to this necessary scrutiny. This study corrects that omission, and in doing so, clearly demonstrates the urgent necessity for Governments to act and introduce guidelines to control the increasing financial burden of oral health, and in doing so enhance the health and wellbeing of their populations."
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