The 20th March marked World Oral Health day, triggering the nutrition industry to hone in on the issue of tooth decay, a topic that links closely with the sugar debate currently dominating the industry. In response, both sweeteners and low sugar snacks were highlighted by members of the nutrition industry as ways to promote healthier oral hygiene.

The FDI World Dental Federation’s World Oral Health day aims to raise awareness of the importance of good oral health and its significance in safeguarding general health and well-being. The international awareness campaign is adapted and promoted locally by national dental associations in over 140 countries worldwide.

Sweeteners Role in Preventing Tooth Decay

The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) celebrated World Oral Health Day by spreading the message that good oral hygiene is critical to “Live Mouth Smart”.

They stressed that oral disease affects 3.9 billion people worldwide, with untreated tooth decay (dental caries) impacting almost half of the world’s population (44%).

They stated that, “adopting good oral hygiene habits and following a healthy lower-sugar diet can help people maintain optimal oral health from early in life into older age.”

“Low calorie sweeteners are non-cariogenic ingredients, meaning that they are not broken down by oral bacteria and do not contribute to tooth decay.”

“Used in place of sugar in foods and beverages, low calorie sweeteners have an important role to play in the management of dental health and the prevention of oral diseases.”

They also stated that low calorie sweeteners allow people to enjoy sweet-tasting products whilst reducing the risk of dental caries.

The dental health benefit of low calorie sweeteners is supported by strong scientific evidence and has been recognized in a Scientific Opinion by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in 2011.

In 2012, and based on EFSA’s conclusion, the European Commission has authorized a health claim supporting low calorie sweeteners’ role in dental health: “intense sweeteners maintain tooth mineralization by decreasing tooth demineralization if consumed instead of sugars”

Having reviewed the scientific literature, a panel of independent experts concluded in a consensus paper published in 2014 that “LCS (low calorie sweeteners) have dental benefits when used in food, beverages, toothpaste and medications, provided other constituents are also non-cariogenic and non-erosive.”

Low Sugar Snacking and Oral Health

Snacking was BENEOs agenda, who stated that as well as regular tooth brushing and dental visits, people should avoid risk factors such as unhealthy diets – especially those rich in sugar and in fermentable carbohydrates.

They stated how the rise of food-on-the-go consumption and our snacking society makes sugar avoidance difficult. With increasing snacking occasions throughout the day, there is even less time for tooth enamel remineralisation, leading to more frequent acid attacks and potential dental cavities over time .

They highlighted a survey by the international research agency, which shows that 27% of European consumers are concerned about dental health, yet 49% of those surveyed loved a mid-afternoon snack. Another survey has shown that 90% of consumers snack multiple times throughout the day.

"Our industry has the potential to play an important part in reducing cavities and promoting dental health," Beneo stated.

"Sugar-free chewing gum, as well as sugar-free hard-boiled candies, have become well-established as between-meal dental care products, yet a devastating 83% of the retail volume of hard candy sold in Europe still contains sugar."

"It is easy to create sugar-free snacks that do not promote tooth decay and yet do not sacrifice on taste."

BENEO’s sugar replacer isomalt is a case in point, having received an EU health claim for its tooth friendly characteristics, as well as a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved dental health claim.

Being the only sugar replacer made from sugar beet, it has a natural, mild sugar-like taste, BENEO state, adding that as bulk sweetener it can replac sugars in a wide range of products and is already the number one sugar replacer in hard candies worldwide.

"Food-on-the-go consumption is here to stay, so why don’t we, as an industry, go to the next level and make even more snacking opportunities toothfriendly?"