Sugary diets at root of children’s tooth decay

THREE-QUARTERS of Irish children have decayed permanent teeth by the time they are 15-years-old, while half of all five-year-olds have rotten baby teeth, new figures show.

The increase in the number of cavities in young children’s teeth is directly linked to the amount of sugar in their diets, a conference organised by the Irish Dental Association (IDA) heard yesterday.

Guest speaker Dr Paula Moynihan of the School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University, presented research linking sugar intake in children’s diets to tooth cavities and obesity levels.