7 Dec 2012

Poor diet to blame for high incidence of tooth deca

Poor diet to blame for high incidence of tooth decay in school children 07/Dec/2012 By Laura Tomlinson, Weekend Courier ONCE a fortnight staff at Airey Dental Family Practice in Safety Bay will see a child who requires 10 to 12 fillings and a root canal. Earlier this year a two-and-a-half-year-old who was complaining of toothache had his teeth – which had only grown six months earlier – fitted with stainless steel crowns. In one of the worst cases owner and dentist Fleur Airey has ever seen, a four-year-old once had to be sent to Princess Margaret Hospital for a “full clearance” of his upper teeth, which had rotted to black stumps. The removal of half his teeth would have had significant effects on his speech, ability to eat, and the growth of his adult teeth. And he would have had a hard time socially, as children cannot be fitted with dentures. While extreme, these cases show how serious an impact a poor diet full of sugary soft drinks and lollies is having on local children. “I think people know about brushing their teeth but do they factor in that a 600ml Coke is something like 11 per cent sugar,” Dr Airey said. “That’s 60 grams, three tablespoons of sugar. We see high school kids walking past here every morning with soft drinks. In some cases it’s cheaper to buy soft drink than water.” Dr Airey said she had seen six-year-olds at sporting activities drinking Powerade when they should be consuming water......

No comments: