New Delhi: Dental health scenario in India is “alarming” and excessive consumption of sugary drinks and junk food is making matters worse as high sugar eating habit is causing “addiction” and dental ailments, doctors have cautioned. “About 80-90 per cent of the adult population in the country suffers from mild gingivitis (gum disease), 60 per cent from moderate gingivitis and over 50 per cent people overall have dental caries.
“Consumption of aerated drinks and junk food high on sugar, makes people unwittingly addicted to sugar, leading to craving for it, and eventually it wrecks their dental health. The addiction could be similar to that of tobacco, and hence a matter of worry,” said Dr O.P. Kharbanda , chief of centre for Dental Education and Research (CDER) at the AIIMS.
Seeking to demystify the evidence on sugar consumption reaching levels of addiction akin to tobacco, the AIIMS is organising an international symposium here on — “Is Sugar the New Tobacco” — on November 11. “Two international experts on dental health and nutrition from the UK would be attending the event, besides some experts from the AIIMS. The symposium would also deliberate on the global best practices on control of sugar intake and suitable guidelines needed in India context,” he said. Dr Kharbanda said, “Infants as young as 1-2 years old are getting dental caries.” He added that about 25 per cent people suffer from malocclusion (imperfect positioning of the teeth when the jaws are closed), with the age group of 10-30 being the most susceptible. Oncologists in India have identified chewable tobacco as a major health scare.
