“An absolute disaster for oral health”

The charity is supported in its disappointment by leading oral health organisation, the British Society of Dental Hygiene and Therapy (BSDHT), who labelled the strategy as a substantial backwards step in addressing the UK’s children’s oral health crisis.

The final Childhood Obesity Strategy has ironically been described as being “significantly watered down” after omitting what has previously been regarded as necessary regulations to make a tangible difference to children’s health in Britain.

The most glaring omissions include a blanket ban on junk food advertising during family TV shows and a ban on firms using cartoon characters in advertising. The strategy has also excluded an expected clampdown on multi-buy promotions for unhealthy food in supermarkets.

Speaking on the release of the strategy, Nigel Carter OBE, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, spoke of the unnecessary harm it will cause to thousands of children in the UK as well as for generations to come.

Commenting on the launch, Nigel said, “Today’s Childhood Obesity Strategy is a disaster. Despite the strategy being focussed on tackling obesity, the knock on effect it would have had on oral health was enormous and what we have seen today spells bad news for generations of our children.