Tooth decay is now the leading cause of hospital admissions among children in the UK, with 500 primary school age children a week requiring hospital treatment. The BDA has championed wide ranging action on sugar, including taxation, public education and marketing.
The Chair of the British Dental Association, Mick Armstrong, said:
"Public health policy must be guided by evidence, not by personal prejudice or commercial interests. Somehow we have allowed tooth decay, an entirely preventable disease, to become the leading cause of hospital admissions among our children. Health professionals expect real leadership here, and no option can be left off the table.
"Britain is addicted to sugar, and inaction can no longer be justified, either morally or financially. Public health and the NHS balance sheet are where we will continue seeing the real cost of political intransigence."
“Let's see real leadership on sugar”
Volume 31 · Issue 6
The British Dental Association (BDA) has responded to reports that government has opted to reject a sugar tax, without engaging with any of the latest official evidence from Public Health England.