Sugar tax could improve oral health
Millions of cases of tooth decay could be prevented if Australia introduced a 20% tax on sugar, new Griffith University research has found.
A new Griffith University study suggests a 20% sugar tax could significantly enhance oral health in Australia, potentially preventing millions of cases of tooth decay, gum disease, and even complete tooth loss. Professor Lennert Veerman from Griffith's School of Medicine and Dentistry estimates the tax could avert 3.7 million instances of tooth decay, 191,000 periodontitis cases, and 115,000 instances of complete tooth loss over the population's lifetime.
The research, published in BMJ Public Health, also projects the tax could generate approximately 500,000 health-adjusted life years for Australians, benefiting both oral health and weight-related conditions. The study, titled "Impact of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax on dental caries, periodontitis and edentulism in Australia: A modeling study," highlights that males stand to gain the most from the sugar tax, given their higher consumption of sugary drinks and greater prevalence of oral diseases.
Professor Marco Peres from SingHealth Duke-NUS in Singapore emphasizes that the findings underscore the importance of considering oral health when evaluating policies targeting sugar consumption, as a sugar tax can significantly reduce the burden of oral disease across the population.
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