Sugar consumption and dental caries: evidence from 90 countries

ABSTRACT An examination is made of data on dental caries amongst 12-year-old children and sugar consumption of the total population for 90 countries. For the whole data set, DMFT score tends

to rise with sugar consumption. The linear relationship between the logarithm of DMFT and sugar is estimated to have a slope of 0.021 per kg/year per head of population (P < 0.0001), and

accounts for 28% of the variation in DMFT. In contrast, when data from 29 industrialised nations are analysed separately, there is no evidence of a sugar-caries relationship; the slope of

the linear regression line is estimated to be −0.013, not significantly different from zero. This latter result is in agreement with the considerable evidence of a lack of strong

relationship between the amount of sugar consumed and caries occurrence in Western countries. These results suggest that, in addition to sugar, other factors, such as other aspects of diet,

exposure to fluoride and genetic effects, must be taken into account when seeking to explain variations in caries prevalence, and when making recommendations for caries control You have full

access to this article via your institution. Download PDF SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS THE IMPACT OF SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGES TAX ON ORAL HEALTH-RELATED OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC

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EXCESS DIETARY SUGAR AND ITS IMPACT ON PERIODONTAL INFLAMMATION: A NARRATIVE REVIEW Article Open access 09 October 2024 ARTICLE PDF Authors * M Woodward View author publications You can also

search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * A R Walker View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and

permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Woodward, M., Walker, A. Sugar consumption and dental caries: evidence from 90 countries. _Br Dent J_ 176, 297–302 (1994).

https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4808437 Download citation * Published: 23 April 1994 * Issue Date: 23 April 1994 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4808437 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you

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