Almost half of parents would prefer to give their children sugar-free sweets, according to a new survey.
The online survey, from the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF), found that despite Christmas being a difficult time of year for diet plans, parents are leading the way in the fight against childhood tooth decay by supporting sugar-free options.
‘It is good to see parents recognising the definite need to limit children’s sugar intake,’ Dr Nigel Carter OBE, chief executive of the BDHF, said.
‘Sugar-free sweets are a great way for us to soothe our children’s sweet tooth without risking their dental health.
‘We would also advise whole fruits, as opposed to dried fruit, which can be as damaging as sweets, as a great source of natural sugar and which also provide many essential vitamins and minerals.
‘With Christmas rapidly approaching we want to make sure that everyone is aware of the amount of sugar we consume and try to avoid having too much of it in our diet, this will not only benefit our dental health but have a positive impact on many other aspects of our overall health.’
