CHILDREN AND TOOTH DECAY
Tooth decay in children is on the increase.
Too many little kids with decaying teeth and cavities is a major concern for most dentists, says Dr. Ian McConnachie, a specialist in pediatric dentistry and past president of the Ontario Dental Association.
"Recent data show that decay activity in children is on the increase," McConnachie says. "Some subsets, particularly early childhood caries, are of particular concern."
He cites a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that points to a 15.2-per-cent increase in tooth decay during the last decade among children under the age of six. "Although these are U.S. figures, we suspect Canadian data to be the same."
Calgary pediatric dentist Dr. Leonard Smith agrees. "Right now, throughout North America we're seeing a marked increase in cavities in children under five, some of them as young as 15 months."
Several factors contribute to tooth decay at any age, says McConnachie. "They include the nature of the diet -- children's diets in general are showing an increase in sugar consumption -- the greater emphasis on convenience foods for this generation and the frequency of ingestion. These are the same sorts of issues that we are seeing as contributing to childhood diabetes and obesity. The decay increase seems to mimic the increase in these problems."
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FYI
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food.
Sugar is listed under many different names , such as dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, glucose, invert sugar and maltose . These seem to be the most common .