It is well documented that the effect of sugar on our teeth isn’t pretty. We’re taught from a young age that we should keep sugar to a minimum to maintain a healthy lifestyle, yet the BBC suggests that children suffering from tooth decay in England are at an all-time high.
The article goes on the discuss more facts and figures surrounding the current controversy. It states that hospital administrations from patients between 5-to-9-years-old consist primarily of tooth decay cases. Although, 41% of under-18-year-olds didn’t visit the dentist last year. This figure goes even lower as the age decreases, which highlights the importance of bringing awareness to dental treatment for children.
When Should a Child See a Dentist?
A younger child should have a check-up at or before their first birthday (or when their first tooth erupts), as suggested by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry in their Dental Check by One oral health campaign. This allows the dentist to assess your child’s current oral health – which could reflect their future oral health – but it also allows your child to become more accustomed to their dentist from a younger age. This is important if you want to reduce the chances of your child growing up with a form of dental anxiety.
More Action?
The Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons are pushing specific recommendations (BBC News):
- introduce supervised teeth-brushing schemes by 2022
- making schools completely sugar-free
- reducing the sugar content from commercial baby foods
- limiting the advertising on high-sugar products
Implementing these changes is a sure way of reducing the likelihood of children having excess sugar in their diet. In turn, this should reduce the risk of damage from exposing children’s teeth to frequent sugar attacks.
Further to this, the BDA is calling for more investments in oral health programmes too. It is said (BBC News) that oral health programmes should be invested into in order encourage children to maintain healthy oral habits – ones that they will develop at an early age and carry through the rest of their lives.
Unsure about your dental health? Call your nearest Synergy Dental Clinic and we’ll be happy to help.