According to a new survey almost half of mums are worried that their child might be addicted to sugar, however, 60% of mums admit that they do not regularly look at the nutritional information on food products for their children.
Parenting on Female First
Despite mums having concerns over the sugar intake, one in five confess that their child doesn't have a balanced diet, according to new research by Bupa.
What's more is 93% of mums surveyed didn't know a typical fat-free yoghurt contains five teaspoons of sugar. Similarly, 94% of mums didn't know that the average amount of sugar in a typical glass juice.
Too much sugar in a child's diet can cause permanent damage to their health, including increased risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. However it can also cause severe damage to dental health as sugar plays a harmful role in tooth decay.
Top five tips on how to keep your child's teeth healthy
from Bupa's Clinical Director of Dentistry, Dr Steve Preddy
- Make the two minutes of teeth brushing fun; use a timer or find a fun song for your child to brush along to
- Be aware of the effects of your child's diet on their dental health, regular consumption of sugary foods and drinks can lead to tooth decay
- Keep sugary treats to mealtimes, the less your child has sugary foods and drinks throughout the day the better
- Always read the nutritional labels on food to be aware of sugar content. This will help you find hidden sugars in healthy or unexpected foods
- Take regular trips to the dentist and try and to make your child feel at ease so this isn't a negative experience
Bupa's Clinical Director of Dentistry, Dr Steve Preddy comments: "Understanding the amount of sugar in a child's diet is vital for their dental health. The findings from the research are really eye opening and show a huge disparity between how much sugar mums think is in certain foods and how much there actually is."
Dr Steve Preddy said : "With 26,000 primary school children admitted to hospital for tooth decay in the past year , there is a need now more than ever, for parents to be paying attention to their child's sugar consumption. The recent announcement from NICE has caused much debate amongst health and teaching authorities however the most important thing to remember is tooth decay is preventable. Parents need to be regularly looking at the nutritional information of food products; it is often what are thought of as healthy foods or unexpected ones."
The research comes as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announce that schools and nurseries should run tooth brushing schemes to improve the oral health of children.
To find out more about Bupa's Tooth Fairy campaign and create a personalised video visit toothfairy.bupa.co.uk