Have you received your copy of the March/April issue of Oral Health yet?
Spring has to be many people’s favourite season, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s the season of rebirth, the land around us erupting into colour and warmth like an external representation of hope and promise.
As we collectively shake off the winter blues, it’s also an opportunity to remember that it’s not just Mother Nature who’s capable of transformations at this time of year.
The long-awaited sugar tax, confirmed in the Spring Budget, has changed the lay of the land for the drinks industry. It brings with it mixed response and speculation over how it will work in reality.
Some soft drink manufacturers are already looking into ways of avoiding the tax by pledging to reduce the amount of sugar in their drinks. But, can they sacrifice the sugar and still achieve the same taste that makes them so popular? And is that even the outcome we want? The industry isn’t renowned for its health-conscious approach to ingredients so the jury is out as to whether artificial sweeteners are going to end up being another problem to tackle in the future.
If nothing else, we can all hopefully agree that the tax in principle is a step in the right direction – and one that everyone at Oral Health is looking forward to seeing come into force next April.
Growing awareness
The media focus that the tax has received has certainly helped catapult the oral health message into the public eye too, which is no bad thing.
But for that message to stick, education needs to happen at grass-roots level, too – and in fact, it’s often at this level that it has the most impact. Luckily, we seem to have no shortage of home-grown heroes stepping up to the challenge. Take Milad Shadrooh – the Singing Dentist – as one example; with a growing fan base, there seems to be no stopping the viral sensation.
His recent appearance on This Morning generated immense positivity from viewers and his latest hit – Save Your Tooth (a parody of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You) – has broken all his previous records, having been viewed almost 340,000 times on Youtube.
You don’t have to be a social media sensation to make a difference though: it is people like you, Oral Health readers, who are champions of preventive dentistry.
POP Awards
That’s why now is the perfect time to launch the People of Prevention (POP) Awards. 
The POP Awards are all about praising you – Oral Health‘s very own POP stars! We’re looking for entries that demonstrate the hard work and drive that you (or someone else) have shown when it comes to prevention. What’s more, the awards are open to the whole team in the UK and Ireland, and entry is free (not to mention easy) so there’s no reason not to enter.
Along with prestige, the winner will receive a whole host of goodies from our partners, so click here for all the details… and get cracking!
Also in this issue:
- Oral health research and promotion
- The link between Helicobacter pylori and oral health
- Helen Minnery, BSDHT president, on driving the profession
- National Institute for Health Research applications
- Ethical use of social media
- Home remedies for toothache
- Digitalisation of caries assessment
- The latest oral health news and views
- And lots, lots more.
If you’ve not yet received the latest issue, and would like to get your hands on it, call 01923 851771 or visit the website.
