Tooth brushing ‘cannot fully mitigate impact of sugary snacks on children’s teeth’

Tooth brushing alone may not be enough to undo the damage that too many sugary snacks can do to children's teeth, according to research.

The University of Edinburgh study analysed the oral health of a sample of nearly 4,000 preschoolers, finding that snacking habits were the factor most strongly associated with decay.

Children who snack regularly throughout the day, rather than just eating meals, were shown to be far more likely to experience dental decay, with brushing not proving sufficient to eliminate the risk of dental decay in children under five.

It was also shown that parental socioeconomic factors – such as the education level of children's mothers – played a bigger role in determining dental decay levels than diet or oral hygiene, with good oral hygiene habits usually set in childhood and persisting in the long term.

Study leader Dr Valeria Skafida, of the University of Edinburgh's school of social and political science, said: "Even with targeted policies that specifically aim to reduce inequalities in children's dental decay, it remains an ongoing challenge to reduce social patterning in dental health outcomes."

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