Why It’s Important to Follow Good Oral Habits
Your mouth may just be a small area of your entire body, but it is one small area that requires your utmost attention and care. All body systems are interrelated, so if the mouth, or oral cavity, develop disorders, other body systems could be affected as well. Observing good dental habits and adhering to professional dietary recommendations are two great ways to prevent oral diseases, and consequently, other diseases that may arise from such conditions.
The recommended sugar intake for adults
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), adults should receive no more than 10 percent of their daily calories from free sugars. However, researchers from the University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine wants to update these standards, claiming that it should be lowered to 5 percent, with 3 percent being the ideal.
The prevalence of tooth decay as a result of sugar intake
The team’s recommendations come from an analysis of public health records from different countries. They compared dental health and sugar consumption over time among large populations of adults and children.
They found that adults had a significantly higher incidence of tooth decay than children, and this incidence soared with any sugar consumption over 0% of total daily calories. But even among children, the team found that moving from consuming almost no sugar to 5% of total daily calories doubled the rate of tooth decay. This rose with every increase in sugar intake.
“Tooth decay is a serious problem worldwide and reducing sugar intake makes a huge difference,” says study author Aubrey Sheiham, of the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health at University College London.
Why is it important to follow recommendations such as these?
Good oral habits are essential to people’s health. Without these habits, a person could start losing teeth to cavities. If you’ve lost a tooth before, you know how difficult it can be – your ability to talk or chew is affected, and you feel reluctant to flash that once-glorious smile. To keep yourself from losing another tooth, it’s important to adhere to recommendations by respected health organizations such as the WHO.
What about your lost tooth?
Fortunately, the best dentists in Denver have a solution for that: Dental implants. Once installed by an experienced provider of dental implants in Denver, you’ll be able to regain the function and appearance of your lost tooth – probably even improve on it.
For more information about installing dental implants and its numerous benefits, you can make an appointment with a trusted Denver dentist office like Cody Dental Group, where you’re sure to get professional answers to any inquiry regarding dental implants and other dental procedures.
(Source: WHO’s recommended sugar intake ‘should be halved to combat dental cavities’, Medical News Today, Sept. 16, 2014)