OTS - FDI WORLD DENTAL FEDERATION: GLOBAL SURVEY SHOWS THAT LESS THAN HALF (38%) OF PARENTS LIMIT THEIR CHILDREN´S SUGARY FOOD AND DRINK INTAKE TO ENSURE GOOD ORAL HEALTH (part 1)
2020. March 16. 09:22
Geneva, Switzerland, 16 March, 2020 (APA/OTS) - Of the 10 countries
surveyed, the United States ranks second last with less than a
third of parents limiting sugar levels in their children´s diet. -
The UK ranks highest with just over half of parents indicating they
restrict sugar levels. - Less than half of parents take their
children at least once a year for a dental check-up. - Less than
half of parents proactively limit the intake of sugary food and
drinks such as candy, soda drinks and juice to their children as a
means of protecting their teeth, according to a YouGov survey of 10
developed and developing countries commissioned by FDI World Dental
Federation (FDI).
Released ahead of World Oral Health Day (WOHD) on 20 March, the
survey asked parents with children aged under 18 years "which, if
any, of the following have you EVER done to ensure your child(ren)
has good oral health?". The results indicate that less than a third
of parents in the United States of America (USA) limit their
child´s sugar intake while parents in the United Kingdom (UK) are
the most proactive with just over half of parents indicating they
restrict sugar levels. Parents in the UK were also top ranked for
taking their children at least once a year for a dental check-up
whereas less than half of parents in the other nine countries did
so.
"Oral disease is a big part of a largely preventable disease
burden and these survey results demonstrate that we´re just not
doing enough to avoid oral health problems at an early age," said
Dr Gerhard K. Seeberger, president of FDI.
Oral disease shares common risk factors with other
noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including tobacco use, harmful use
of alcohol and unhealthy diets, especially those high in sugar. It
also typifies the kind of health inequities that are so linked to
the NCD burden.
"The oral health profession has largely existed as a separate
specialty divorced from medicine and medicine's education system
but the intense debate around sugar over the past few years only
illustrates the fallacy of working in silos. It is simply
unproductive to be discussing sugary drinks and their link to the
obesity epidemic without factoring in the obvious impact they have
on the oral health of children," said Seeberger.
Oral health continues to be one of the most neglected areas of
global health. The tragedy is that oral disease is a silent
epidemic afflicting some 3.58 billion people-more than half the
world's population-but it's largely preventable. Oral diseases,
such as dental caries (tooth decay), gum disease and oral cancer,
are the most common forms of preventable NCDs and affect people
throughout their lifetime, causing pain, discomfort, disfigurement
and even death. The collective failure to prevent oral disease
costs the world economy some US$442 billion.
Much of the neglect is down to one main barrier: high treatment
costs. Oral diseases are the fourth most expensive out-of-pocket
diseases to treat. Furthermore, political impetus to change this
scenario has been largely absent due in part to the fact, that
historically, the "mouth" has been treated separately from the
"body" in healthcare policy making.
The survey reports that parents from the USA rank second to
last when asked if they limit(ed) sugary food and drinks in their
child(ren)'s diet (e.g. candy, soda, juice), with 32 per cent of
respondents saying that this was the case. The remaining countries'
results included the United Kingdom (52 per cent), Sweden (44 per
cent), (Australia (41 per cent), China (41 per cent), Morocco (40
per cent), France (37 per cent), Philippines (36 per cent), Egypt
(32 per cent) and Argentina (30 per cent).
Forty-one percent of parents in the USA took their child for a
dental check-up at least once a year The remaining countries'
results included the United Kingdom (63 per cent), Argentina (47
per cent), France ( 42 per cent), Sweden (41 per cent), Australia
(37 percent), Philippines (31 per cent), China (18 per cent),
Morocco (12 per cent) and Egypt (11 per cent).
This year World Oral Health Day is featuring pledges to inspire
the general public, policymakers, healthcare professionals and
other key stakeholders to Unite for Mouth Health.
(continues)