The modern dietary and dental challenge

Day in, day out, the practice is guaranteed to see people who indulge heavily in fizzy drinks. They have become a regular part of the everyday lunchtime meal deal, a common choice when eating at restaurants, and are increasingly loved by teenagers especially. In the UK, around 12 per cent of young people consumed one carbonated sugary beverage every day in 2022, a rise from 2018.

Despite the efforts of oral health professionals and healthcare policies, we continue to see a concerning prevalence of fizzy beverages in the average diet. Most recently, energy drinks have entered the fray and gained popularity, creating another dietary problem for clinicians to tackle.

Big actions with big results

The detrimental effects of many fizzy drinks haven’t gone unnoticed over the years, at a public and governmental level.

In the UK, the ‘Sugar Tax’ introduced in 2018 was aimed at tackling childhood obesity, however it may have also brought further attention to the effect of sugary soft drinks on the enamel to the wider public. The World Health Organization called for a first-ever global tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in 2022, citing the successful implementation in the UK as an example. Dental cavities were a key factor behind the recommendation, alongside other general health issues such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease.