Dental health education prevents tooth decay

Recent research has concluded that modern lifestyle habits may have a bigger role than food alone, when it comes to tooth decay. The overall goal of the review was to evaluate the evidence for the claim that sugar was the most important cause of dental caries (tooth decay). After a carefully review of 31 studies, the authors concluded no relationship between the amount of sugar consumed and dental caries, but the frequency of consumption may be important.

A review of the scientific evidence over the past 150 years found that the effects of fluoride toothpaste, good oral hygiene and health education, may override the effects of food alone on tooth decay. Thanks to dental health education most people now know the best way to prevent tooth decay is to brush with fluoride toothpaste twice a day, especially before going to bed. Rates of tooth decay have fallen dramatically over the past 20 years.

The research is published online in a Supplement to the journal Obesity Reviews.