Junk food leading to rapid rise in dental diseases in children

Said Dr. Akshay Bhargav, Dean, Faculty of Dental Sciences, SGT University: “Eating junk food in the form of burgers, pizzas, chips, French fries, cold drinks, ice creams and desserts is resulting in an epidemic of dental diseases in children, including tooth ache, cavities, decay of milk teeth, and gum problems. These food habits are very harmful for teeth. The shift from unprocessed coarse foods low in sugar to processed soft foods high in sugar, combined with high frequency of food intake, is creating havoc with oral health."

 

"Teenagers taking to smoking and drinking at an early age is also leading to tooth decay. In India, oral health is not considered a serious issue. Parents should take their children to a dentist once in six months to avoid long-term damage to teeth and gums. Dental diseases, if not treated promptly, can negatively impact the overall health of a child," said he.

 

Dr. Bhargav was speaking at a day-long seminar on “Current Paradigms in Paediatric Dentistry” at the SGT University campus in Gurgaon that was attended by over 150 delegates including dentists, professors and students from medical colleges in Delhi/NCR, Rajasthan and Haryana. 

 

The event was organized by the University’s Faculty of Dental Sciences in association with the Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry (ISPPD). The participants discussed the current status and future trends in paediatric dentistry and challenges in oral health.

 

Talking about the latest treatment options for dental problems in children, Dr. Vijay Prakash Mathur, Additional Professor, AIIMS, New Delhi, said: “Laser is the latest technology to be used for painless and bloodless dental procedures. It benefits children because, in many cases, laser surgery does not require a painful injection and the blood loss is minimal. It ensures better healing and reduces post-operative pain and swelling. Sometimes, even sutures are not required after laser surgery."

 

"While soft tissue lasers are useful in minor surgeries and pulp-related procedures, hard tissue lasers are used for cavity cutting, crown cutting before fillings and crown placement. Lasers are very useful in surgeries related to jaw bones and tumours. The dental technology today has unlimited possibilities, from 3D imaging to blood less surgery and fully automated manufacture of prosthesis,” he said.

 

Added Dr. Ashwin M Jawdekar, Professor, Paediatric & Preventive Dentistry, YMT Dental College & Hospital, Navi Mumbai: “Changes in lifestyle and food habits are triggering a spike in the incidence of dental caries, especially among children. Recent studies show overall dental caries prevalence of 55-60% in Indian population. Over-consumption of tobacco and sugar are mainly responsible for poor oral and dental health. The problem is compounded by the absence of preventive strategies for oral health, lack of uniform access to dental services, and poor budgetary allocation by the Government to ensure dental health of people."

 

"To reduce the prevalence of dental caries, a national programme of oral health is necessary which should be evidence-based, with particular focus on infants and children. It needs to leverage the existing machinery of successful public health campaigns like Pulse Polio and the manpower of dental colleges all over the country,” he said.

 

Other prominent speakers at the seminar included Dr. Vinod Sachdev, Principal & Head, Department of Paedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, ITS, Central for Dental Studies & Research, Muradnagar, Ghaziabad, and Dr. IK Pandit, Principal, Professor & Head, Department of Paedodontics & Preventive Dentistry, DAV Dental College & Hospital, Yamuna Nagar.