Getting diet right: dietary advice for health in practice

In 2012–13, over 60 000 children (about the population of Corby, Northamptonshire) had decayed teeth extracted under general anaesthetic in hospital, in England (Public Health England, 2013). The cause of the decayed teeth was poor diet. A conservative estimate of the cost of these admissions for extraction of decayed teeth was £27.6 million (the cost of running three secondary schools). Decayed teeth cause pain and sepsis, and disrupt family life. Dental decay is still a major health burden in this country—it is of medical, social and economic importance. It is not only children who suffer decayed teeth; all age groups are at risk. The cause of dental decay is simple: the consumption of sugar. Without sugar, caries development is negligible. Controlling sugar consumption, though, is not easy, and the intention of this article is to help you give sound advice to patients attending your practice.