Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health senior research fellow Dr Jason Armfield is the lead author of a new study of more than 16,800 Australian children that shows 56 per cent of those aged between five and 16 consumed at least one sweet drink, such as soft drink or juice, each day.
The findings, published on the American Journal of Public Health website, show the number of decayed, missing or baby teeth with fillings was 46 per cent higher in children who had three or more sweet drinks a day than those who consumed none.
Dr Armfield said the results highlighted the role soft drinks played in tooth decay.
“There’s a lot of problems that excess consumption may cause and these should be included as part of any potential warning package on sweet drinks,” he said.
“But the potential tooth decay caused by the drink’s high acidity and sugar content should be a focus.”
He also said children needed greater access to fluoridated water.
Dr Armfield’s call comes as 3000 South Australian children have their teeth examined in a national dental survey.
