Fruit juice blamed as 12% of UK kids have tooth decay

Sugar in fruit juice has been branded one of the main culprits behind one in every eight children aged three suffering from tooth decay.

Some 12% of three-year-olds in England have decaying teeth as parents increasingly give their children sugary foods and drinks, health officials warned.

These youngsters have an average of three teeth that are decayed, missing or filled, Public Health England (PHE) found.

In some parts of England, as many as one-third of children this age have dental decay, according to PHE’s first national survey of the oral health of three-year-old children in England.

Experts examined the teeth of more than 50,000 youngsters at their nursery, children’s centre or playgroup during 2012/13.

Officials said that some children had a type of decay known as early childhood caries. This affects the upper front teeth and spreads quickly to other teeth. It is linked to the consumption of sugary drinks in baby bottles or sipping cups.

PHE said that parents should reduce both the amount and how often sugary foods and drinks are given to their children and also urged them not to add sugar to weaning foods or drinks. She advised parents to only give milk or water to children until the age of three.

Parents and carers should also start brushing children’s teeth as soon as the first tooth appears and supervise their tooth brushing until they are seven or eight years old, the health body added.

Children’s teeth should be brushed twice daily, including just before bed, using a fluoride toothpaste.

PHE also advised parents to only use sugar-free medicines.

Sandra White, director of dental public health at PHE, said: “Tooth decay is an entirely preventable disease, which can be very painful and even result in a child having teeth removed under general anaesthetic, which is stressful for children and parents alike.”

“Thankfully, tooth decay in children can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle; by parents and carers reducing the amount of sugary foods and drinks they give their children and supporting them to brush their teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, especially just before bedtime.

Bitter sweet

Juices that contain more than 10.6g of sugar per 100ml. This is the level found in full-sugar Coca-Cola.

- Innocent Pure Fruit Smoothie Mangoes & Passion Fruits: 12.2g per 100ml;

- Tesco Everyday Value Apple Juice: 11.4g per 100ml;

- Aldi’s Del Rivo Apple Juice: 11.33g per 100ml;

- Tesco Apple & Blackcurrant from concentrate 11.12g per 100ml.