Diet Advice from Absolute Dental to the 1st Modbury Cubs

It is fair to say that no two days are the same at Absolute Dental, and so when I was asked to visit the 1st Modbury Cubs to give them some dietary advice, I thought "It's all in a days work!"

So, armed with pictures or decayed teeth, I set out to educate them on the causes of tooth decay, and how it can be prevented.

It is thought that one-third of 8 year olds in the UK currently has tooth decay.

The highest reason for admission to hospital for general anaesthetic for children is the extraction of teeth.

Two extremely worrying statistics that make me as a dental care professional sit up, and think how important my role in the education of patients is.

After a quick gross out session with the pictures and asking the cubs what they thought the cause was - and I was pleased to hear them say "not brushing your teeth" and eating too many sweets", we set about looking for sugar in the not so obvious places.

We all know a can of Coca-Cola has loads of sugar in it (about 9 teaspoons to be precise - yuk!), but it came as a huge surprise for the cubs (and their leaders!) to know that a bottle of Volvic Water "touch of fruit" can have up to 6 teaspoons of sugar in it too!

We asked the cubs to match up bags of white sugar with the pictures of the foods provided (Mars bars, tomato ketchup, fat free yoghurts etc) and I think everyone was surprised how much sugar is found in "low fat" foods and also how much sugar we add to our food in the form of ketchup and other sauces, not to mention drinks (12 teaspoons of sugar in a McDonalds milkshake!!!).

We all consume more than 3 times the recommended sugar per day and what the liver can't process, it deposits in fat around the body - this can lead to weight can & obesity, diabetes, liver disease and heart problems.

The "Sugar Smart" initiative had devised a smart phone app for parents to use to determine the amount of sugar in the processed foods they are buying (even tins of soup!), and leaflets are also being distributed throughout primary schools currently, so the timing of my talk was perfect.

If we can encourage the next generation to be "sugar detectives" and reduce the amount of sugar in their diet, we can reduce the health and dental problems of tomorrow.

Knowing the different names the manufactures use to "disguise" sugar in foods is vital too.

Along with encouraging thorough removal of plaque from every surface of every tooth, every day.

The cubs toothbrushes were assessed for their "fitness for purpose" for the job in hand, and George was awarded the certificate for "The Best Toothbrush In Town".

Having set them the challenge to design a poster to show what they learnt over the evening, I'm really excited to see the results and see which particular message resonated with each of them most.

Next stop.....South Pool Pony Club!

Diane