Eating on the go bad for oral health

A growing tendency to eat-on-the-go has led to a new breed of grazers putting their dental health at risk.

A new survey reveals that 68% of Brits snack more than six times a day, as they spend longer hours chained to their desks.

A faster paced work ethic, coupled with shorter lunch hours means 25% of office workers find it more convenient to snack throughout the day than stick to the traditional three meal regime, with 62% admitting to eating on the go at least four times a week.

Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of British Dental Health Foundation, says: ‘When we are grabbing a bite to eat, it is easy to forget that it’s still just as important to clean our teeth as we would after eating a meal.’

Lawyers and bankers are the worst culprits, with 67% eating sporadically throughout the day. But it is those working in marketing and media that recorded the worst dental care, with 35% not at all concerned about keeping their teeth sparkling throughout the day.

Marketing manager, Adrian Toomey says: ‘As the snacking culture continues to rapidly grow and our diets evolve to having smaller meals throughout the day, we need to make sure our oral health care habits are changing to reflect this.’

‘You can’t always use a toothbrush but chewing sugarfree gum after a meal is a suitable alternative, stimulating the production of saliva which helps to neutralise plaque acids that may lead to tooth decay,’ says Dr Carter.

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