Diet and the impact on oral health

Withy King regularly blog about what the government are proposing to do to reduce the UK’s growing problem with obesity and my colleague, Samantha Swaby recently blogged on the Government’s proposal of the sugar tax that was revealed in the recent Budget announcement.

Public Health England has now launched the Eatwell Guide which is a visual guide on how we can all achieve a healthy and balanced diet. This initiative, like the sugar tax is primarily aimed at reducing obesity but may also help reduce dental problems, such as tooth decay. The prevalence of dental decay in children is now at an all time high and could logically be linked to increased sugar consumption.

The new Eatwell Guide aims to show the different types of food and drinks we should consume and in what proportions in order to have a healthy and balanced diet. The following is a brief summary of the guidance:

• Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates; choosing
wholegrain versions where possible
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks); choosing lower fat and lower sugar options
• Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions of fish every week, one of which should be oily)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and eat in small amounts
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of fluid a day

Whilst the above recommendations does not reflect ground breaking dietary advice, it serves as a useful reminder to us all of the basic principles of health eating. Since the announcement of the updated guidance, numerous dental organisations have commented on the usefulness of the guidance to highlight the dangerous effects of hidden sugar in food and the impact it can have on our oral health.

There has been a further call from dental organisations to make sure we are all considering the amount of the sugar that we are consuming. Quite often there is a lot of ‘hidden’ sugar in smoothies and drinks and food which are branded as ‘healthy’. Even with an exemplary oral hygiene routine, quite often we are unable to eradicate the damage sugar can do to the health of our teeth.

I certainty think that the nation will start to become more and more conscious of hidden sugar in food and in turn this will have a positive impact on the oral health of the nation.