Life

More schools should follow soft-drinks ban

Dentist Lucy Stock of Gentle Dental Care in Belfast reports on the positive reaction to schools banning sugary drinks

TWO schools that have banned sugary drinks should be templates adopted by the government, according to the British Dental Health Foundation.

The oral health charity believes that as well as combating the growing obesity epidemic, government intervention would greatly benefit the oral health of children today and those in future generations.

Burnage Media College in Manchester was the first school to ban energy drinks and William Howard School in Brampton, Cumbria, has followed suit.

Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, applauded the two schools for banning sugary drinks and encouraged the government to roll the idea out across the UK. "It is very refreshing to see these schools taking their own initiative and banning sugary drinks," Dr Carter said. "Drinks packed with sugar have long been problematic to oral health. The foundation has supported a number of policies to curb sugarydrinks from a number of health initiatives and still the government has not acted. "One in every four children starting school will do so with tooth decay. It may be a slight improvement compared to 10 years ago, but it's still nowhere near where we'd like it to be. "These figures support the need for the government to work with health bodies and professionals across the country to safeguard the general and oral health of children. The increase in consumption of sugary drinks is one of the key reasons for dental decay, particularly in children."

To mark World Oral Health Day this month, Dr Carter explained how schools could improve their pupils' overall diet. "School meals can be extremely hazardous to oral health, particularly if parents are happy to satisfy their child's sweet tooth and send them to school with fizzy drinks and sweets," he said. "Children aren't born with a sweet tooth - it's picked up over time due. By getting involved in awareness-raising, schools can promote healthy foods to pupils and encourage them to eat better. There is plenty of evidence linking this to attainment, so it really is in the school's best interest to install a healthy food and drinks policy."