Action on Sugar sinks its teeth into fresh controversy
AoS turned its attention to the damage sugar can do to teeth as well as obesity this month.
Supporters of the campaign stepped up pressure on manufacturers to reduce sugar levels by claiming sugar was the most important dietary factor in the development of dental decay.
The lobby group claimed dental decay accounted for 6-10% of total health costs in industrialised countries. There had been a decline in dental decay levels in many countries, it added.
“Added sugars are completely unnecessary in our diets and are strongly linked to dental decay as well as to obesity and type II diabetes,” said nutritionist and AoS campaign director Katharine Jenner.
“We urge the World Health Organisation and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition in the UK to take this evidence on board.”
Professor Aubrey Sheiham, emeritus professor of dental public health, said tooth decay was one of the most widespread health problems and it is thought around a third of UK children aged 12 have visible tooth decay.
Sheiman’s comments coincided with a new paper he co-authored with Professor Philip James of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, both expert advisors to the AoS, published in the Public Health Nutrition journal.