The American Dental Hygienists’ Association to Emphasize Importance of Diet during National Children’s Dental Health Month
The American Dental Hygienists’ Association to Emphasize Importance of Diet during National Children’s Dental Health MonthChicago, January 26, 2010—In observance of National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) in February, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association will emphasize the importance of the
The American Dental Hygienists’ Association to Emphasize Importance of Diet during National Children’s Dental Health Month
Chicago, January 26, 2010—In observance of National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM) in February, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association will emphasize the importance of the role diet plays in a proper oral health care routine for children.
“Oral health and overall health remain closely linked which emphasizes the role that diet plays in keeping your children healthy,” says Lynn Ramer, LDH, ADHA president. “It’s important for parents to not only monitor what their children are eating, but to understand some of the often overlooked effects which items like sports drinks and sour candies could be having on their child’s oral health.”
While it may appear that sour candies would be better for children because of lower sugar content compared to their sweet counterpart, the acidity of the sour candies is what is causing the most damage to children’s teeth. In fact the acid level in many of these candies is towards the extreme end of the acidic spectrum.
But sour candies aren’t the only danger hiding in a child’s diet. Sports drinks which have been heavily marketed as healthy, are also wreaking havoc in children’s mouths. Again the acidity in these drinks is causing damage to the teeth, but beyond that the sugars and many of the additives are impacting oral health in negative ways.
Recent studies have shown that prolonged exposure to these types of drinks are causing the softening of dentin—the dental tissue which determines the size and shape of teeth—enamel erosion, tooth etching, and staining. The damage is caused when the beverages are consumed over long periods of time, such as being sipped on throughout the day in place of water.
While it may be impossible to keep children from enjoying these sour candies and sports drinks there are certain measures which can be taken to limit the damage from sources:
• Wait at least 45 minutes to have the child brush their teeth after consuming these candies and beverages as abrasives like toothpaste can actually help to further erode tooth enamel softened by the acids.
• Encourage your children to drink the beverages in a single sitting to reduce the prolonged exposure to the harmful substances.
• Encourage children to drink water throughout the day rather than allowing sports drinks as a hydrating substitute.
ADHA encourages dental hygienists across the country to get involved during NCDHM to increase public awareness of the specific oral health issues related to children and to help parents understand how prevention plays a key role in optimum health.
For more information about this topic and other oral health issues, visit www.adha.org/oralhealth/index.html or www.adha.org/media/index.html.
ADHA is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of more than 150,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support total health through the promotion of optimal oral health. For more information about ADHA, dental hygiene or the link between oral health and general health, visit ADHA at www.adha.org.
