(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI)
DENTAL caries or tooth decay is more than just a pain.
Severe dental caries affects general health and often causes pain and infection, which may result in tooth extraction.
Almost half of the world’s population is affected by dental caries, making it the No. 1 cause of non-communicable diseases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Dental caries is the most common condition included in the WHO Global Burden of Disease Study, ranking first for decay of permanent teeth (affecting 2.3 billion people) and 12th for deciduous teeth or baby teeth (affecting 560 million children).
In rich countries, dental caries is not only painful, it’s an expensive condition, costing as much as 10 percent of healthcare budgets, according to WHO estimates.
Worldwide, the United Nations health agency says, as much as US$ 298 billion were spent on direct costs associated with dental caries in 2010. Indirect costs were estimated at US$ 144 billion, with the total financial cost reaching US$ 442 billion..
Because the disease builds up during lifetimes, it affects adults mostly. And it affects those with high sugar consumption, a habit common among the poor where the condition is also most prevalent.
Dental caries is the main reasons for children being admitted to hospitals in some high-income countries. It is also to blame for children being absent in school and adults from work. Severe dental caries affects quality of life from sleeping and eating difficulty due to abscessed tooth.
Free sugars are the main culprits. Free sugars are added to food and beverages, including carbohydrates and sugars naturally present in honey, syrup, and fruits. Free sugars are found in confectionery, cakes, biscuits, sweetened cereals, sweet desserts, sucrose, honey, syrups and preserves as well as sugar-sweetened beverages, drinks, and 100-percent fruit juices.
Free sugars include all monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods and drinks by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, and sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates, according to the WHO Guideline on sugars intake for adults and children.
Dental caries develops when bacteria in the mouth metabolize sugars to produce acid. Acid affects the enamel and dentine, the hard tissues of the teeth.
While treatment is costly, prevention is simple: avoid sugar. Studies cited by the WHO show that limiting free sugars intake to less than 10 percent of total energy intake lessens the risk of dental caries.
To prevent dental caries, the WHO recommends taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages and foods with high free sugar content; implementing clear nutrition labelling, including the information on sugars contained in a product;
Regulating all forms of marketing and advertising of food and beverages high in free sugars to children; improving the food environment in public institutions, particularly schools, through regulating sales of foods and beverages high in free sugars; and prioritizing awareness and access to clean water as a drink that is “safe for teeth”./PN
