Healthy eating advice
Sugar and tooth decay
Tooth decay is largely preventable with sugar being the main cause, particularly when sugary food and drink are consumed in-between meals.
Sugars are naturally present in honey, syrups, fruits juices and dried fruit. However, sugar can also be added to food. These kinds of sugars can increase the risk of tooth decay.
Tooth decay can cause toothache. Some children and young adults are not able to describe toothache, so it is important to look out for warning signs. These signs might include pulling at the mouth, unexplained changes in behaviour or emotional outbursts.
Health care professionals and schools can help you with making healthier choices. For example, some medications contain sugar so you could ask your GP or pharmacist for sugar free alternatives.
Top tips for reducing the frequency of sugar
- If you need to eat between meals, snack on fresh fruit, raw vegetables, breadsticks, or a small amount of cheese.
- Fruit juices and fizzy drinks contain sugar and need to be avoided. Fizzy diet drinks can also be harmful to teeth if consumed too often.
- Water and milk are the best drinks for in-between meals.
Some children and young people with disabilities or autism may require a high calorie diet and frequent food intakes. This increases the risk of tooth decay. Ask a member of the dental team or a health professional for diet advice.
Use of bottles and feeder cups
Breastfeeding provides the best nutrition for your baby.
From 6 months of age babies should be introduced to drinking from a free-flow feeder cup. From 1 year old, feeding from a bottle should be discouraged. Sugar should not be added to weaning foods or drinks, and sugary drinks should never be given in a bottle.
If a child has a bottle at bedtime this should only contain water. For further help and advice ask a member of the dental team on: dentalservice@bdct.nhs.uk or a health professional.
For more information on a healthy diet and how to reduce sugar, visit the NHS website Change4Life.