Parents ‘seeking out sugar-free sweets for kids as healthier alternative’

UK parents are seeking out sugar-free sweets to help improve the oral health of their children, according to a new survey from the British Dental Health Foundation.

Almost half of those surveyed said they had would prefer to give their children sugar-free sweets as a healthier alternative, suggesting awareness of the health risks posed by tooth decay is on the rise.

Statistics published earlier this year showed that 26,000 primary school-aged children were admitted to hospital due to tooth decay in the past year, making it the single biggest reason for requiring general anaesthetic.

The extremely high levels of added sugar in certain foods and soft drinks – as well as ostensibly healthy items such as cereals and smoothies – is a primary cause of this trend.

Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said: "With Christmas rapidly approaching, we want to make sure that everyone is aware of the amount of sugar we consume and try to avoid having too much of it in our diet."