Tooth-Friendly Drinks for Children

Soft drinks, sports drinks, and fruit juices are among the favourite drinks for many Australian children. But the Australian Dental Association warns that parents must be aware that allowing their kids to frequently gulp down sugary drinks puts their children at high risk of having tooth decay.

According to the Australian Dental Association, by the age of just six years, 50% of Australian children are suffering from tooth decay–a preventable disease! The Association encourages parents to monitor what their children eat and drink each day and to guide their children towards establishing an effective daily dental health care routine.

The ADA explains that soft drinks–even fruit juices–”coat the mouth with sugar for bacteria to feed on and produce acid that attacks tooth enamel”. While sometimes these beverages cannot be entirely avoided, the ADA recommends having these sugary drinks during mealtime–”when saliva is working at its hardest to wash away food particles and bacteria”.

This and other useful information are available here  http://www.dentalhealthweek.com.au/Parents/tooth-friendly-drinks.html as part of ADA’s “Stop the Rot” campaign for Dental Health Week 2012.