20 February 2023
The Illawarra Mercury
With the new school year now in full swing, an Illawarra dentist is urging parents to look out for hidden sugars when packing their children’s lunchboxes.
Dr Mohit Tolani works at Dapto Dentists and is a member of the Australian Dental Association (ADA) NSW branch and its advocacy committee.
He recently raised the alarm about a dental crisis unfolding in the Illawarra, where anecdotal evidence showed more that 50 per cent of children have cavities in their adult teeth – double the state average.
Now he is backing a campaign by ADA NSW urging parents to educate themselves about the sugar content of the snacks they send to school.
ADA NSW said about 70 per cent of children aged 9-13 were consuming too much sugar, and poor oral health in childhood was the strongest predictor of further dental disease in adulthood.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare from last year showed one in four Australian children aged 6-14, (24 per cent), had dental cavities in their permanent teeth, but Dr Mohit told the Mercury recently that more than half the children he saw had tooth decay.
ADA NSW said a typical lunchbox that includes a serving of dried apricots, a flavoured yoghurt and a fruit juice box contains more than double the recommended daily amount of sugar.
Limiting sugar consumption is key to preventing tooth decay, which is the most common chronic disease in childhood.
Dr Tolani blamed COVID-19 lockdowns and a lack of “dental literacy” amongst parents for the increase in tooth decay in children he sees at his Dapto practice.
He devotes a portion of childhood dental appointments to education, including the role of diet.
“Education is very important and I speak a lot about diet at a child’s first check-up and at the check-ups every 12 months,” he said.
“I talk about the role of sugar and how to manage it; what goes in the lunchbox”.
ADA NSW has provided tips for families to help improve their children’s oral and overall health and suggests steering clear of many of the convenient snack food options which often contain high levels of sugar.
A high sugar diet in children not only resulted in tooth decay and gum disease, but could lead to invasive dental treatments such as fillings and early extractions.
It also contributed to hospitalisations and chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes.
Parents are urged to check the labels on packaged food for the real sugar content to decide whether it should be included in school lunchboxes.
ADA NSW tips for a teeth-friendly lunchboxes
Include something from each of the five food groups, including fruit/vegetables/legumes/beans, dairy, grain (cereal) foods and lean meats poultry/fish/eggs.
Replace chips, chocolates, muesli bars and sweet biscuits with fresh fruit, cucumbers, celery and carrot sticks.
Add cheese or cheese sticks and hard-boiled eggs for protein.
Limit snacks that are high in sugar and/or saturated fats such as doughnuts.
Pick whole fruit over fruit juice. The vitamins, minerals and fibre in fruit means it is more filling and nutritious,
and reduces the sugar content per serve.
Pack water rather than sports drinks, juice, soft drinks, cordials or flavoured milk, which are high in sugar. Tap water with fluoride is best.
Choose grain-based snacks with whole grains and high fibre, such as wholegrain bread and crackers, rice crackers and popcorn.
Limit processed snacks such as muesli and breakfast bars, chips and cookies to one item and choose a low-sugar version where possible.
