Dental caries is one of the most prevalent human diseases. And understanding the role of diet, demographics, and environmental factors in dental caries rates in children is essential to improve children’s health.
To better understand these factors, CareQuest Institute conducted a systematic review of four studies to examine the link between consumption of added sugar and the incidence and prevalence of dental caries in US children from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Key findings include:
- All four studies found a strong association between sugar consumption and dental caries in children from low-income families in the US.
- Providers should offer nutritional counseling and motivational interviewing, which can help patients understand the harms of sugar consumption and encourage patients’ behavior change.
- Community-level interventions — such as support for corner store owners committed to increasing their store inventory of healthy food — can also be helpful.
The authors write:
The public health burden caused by excess sugar consumption needs to be further addressed by health providers and through policy at school, state, and national levels.”
