What if the key to preventing cavities in children was to ban sugar from schools? A group of dentists from the Faculty of Dental Surgery appear to think it is.
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These dentists also recommend setting a time for children to brush their teeth at school, under supervision. They would also like to have guidelines to help parents prepare healthy lunches for their children. According to the report from the Faculty of Dental Surgery, cavities have been the number one cause of hospital admissions for children aged five to nine, for the last three years.
Professor Michael Escudier, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgery in England, warns: "It is incredibly worrying that levels of tooth decay among children in England remain so high - especially when you consider that it is almost entirely preventable through simple steps, such as brushing twice a day with appropriate-strength fluoride toothpaste, visiting the dentist regularly and reducing sugar consumption."
What do the dentists recommend?
The Faculty of Dental Surgery delivered a report in which dentists made recommendations to prevent tooth decay among children.
Among them: all schools going "sugar-free", limiting the advertising of sweetened drinks, reducing the amount of sugar in processed baby food, and implementing supervised toothbrushing breaks in schools.