Sugar, tobacco and alcohol "contributing to the increased burden of oral diseases"

Sugar, tobacco and alcohol contribute to the growing burden of oral diseases on global public health, say scientists.

The researchers argue that the prevention of tooth decay, one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide, requires the global implementation of the World Health Organization's sugar intake guideline.

The WHO recommends that individuals consume less than 10% of the total energy intake from free sugars and that an intake of less than 5% would be beneficial.

The global community of dental research plays an important role in the implementation of the guidelines, according to the Lancet series on oral health.

"Dentistry is in crisis," said Professor Richard Watt, president and honorary consultant in dental public health at University College London, and lead author of the series.

"Current dental and public health interventions have been largely inadequate, unfair and costly, leaving billions of people without access to even basic oral health care.

"While this break in the delivery of oral health care is not attributable to dental clinicians committed to caring for their patients, a fundamentally different approach is needed to effectively address the global burden of oral disease.

The researchers stated that this meant he was unable to tackle the underlying causes of oral diseases.

Oral health problems share many of the underlying risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, such as sugar consumption, smoking, and the harmful use of alcohol.

The study shows that in middle-income countries, the burden of oral diseases is considerable, but oral health care systems are often underdeveloped and unaffordable for the majority.

While in low-income countries, the situation is very bleak, with even basic dental care unavailable and most untreated diseases.

The researchers said the burden of oral disease would increase as more and more people were exposed to the major risk factors for these diseases.

Sugar consumption, the root cause of tooth decay, was increasing rapidly in many low- and middle-income countries.

While sugar beverage consumption was highest at HIC, the growth of sweetened beverage sales in many low-income countries was substantial.

Professor Watt said, "The use of preventive clinical interventions, such as topical fluorides, to fight tooth decay has been very effective. However, since this is considered a "panacea", many may lose sight of the fact that sugar consumption remains the main cause of the disease's development.

"We need stricter regulations and legislation to limit the marketing and influence of the sugar, tobacco and alcohol industries if we want to tackle the causes." deep oral conditions. "

The authors of the series called for bridging the gap between dental care and general health care and training future dental staff, with a focus on prevention.

They also called for stronger political approaches to tackling the underlying cause of oral diseases such as tooth decay, gum disease and oral cancer.