Warning cavities, too many children quench their thirst with drinks that are not water

The Royal College of Surgery of the United Kingdom warned a week ago that children’s dental health was getting worse at times, and that in the last decade they have seen how tooth extractions in children under 5 years have increased by 24%.

One of the main causes is the feeding of the small ones, and inside the feeding, the drinks that they consume. The data is devastating and worrying: only one in four drinks consumed by children aged 5 to 9 is water .

And two out of three are harmful

That means that children drink very little water, and it is worrisome because when they do not drink water, what they drink is very cariogenic. As we read in DailyMail, say the data from a survey commissioned by the Natural Hydration Council, also from the United Kingdom, that two out of three drinks ingested by children are harmful to the teeth.

In addition, of all that English children come to drink, 30% are carbonated drinks , which can be harmful even when they do not contain sugar, because many have compounds such as phosphoric acid, citric acid and tartaric acid, which affect the enamel of the teeth, favoring their erosion.

Parents drink more and more water

Apparently, the tendency in adults is to drink more and more water, looking for a series of healthier habits as they become aware that the best drink to hydrate is water. However, in children, the trend is the opposite. For making sure that they eat something, that they are well nourished, many children take juices to school (they are unhealthy), snack with cocoa shakes and the like, and many have scary teeth.

La . Dr. Emma Derbyshire, a nutritionist and consultant Natural Hydration Council explains:

The Department of Public Health of England recommends that adults and children change sugary drinks for healthier alternatives, such as water. It is also good for the normal functioning of the body, it is naturally free of sugar and therefore one of the best options for our children’s teeth.

“Just drink water”

Because of my work as a nurse I see many children every day, and many of them are obviously overweight. Usually it is because of an inadequate diet and a lack of outdoor play and exercise , so to remedy, I make various indications to parents so that both children and they begin to make a change in habits (Because children often do just the same thing they see at home).

Well, the first advice I give is this, because it is usually the easiest to follow: “Just drink water.” To get to it, nothing like stopping buying what they do not want their children to drink: no juices, no smoothies, no soft drinks, no isotonic drinks (there are children drinking Aquarius and similar daily), nor sugary teas (children who drink Nestea to eat), etc. Obviously, do not make juices at home either . They are surely healthier than those we can buy at the supermarket, but they are equally rich in sugars (because of the sugar present in the fruits we use to make the juice) and they are consumed much faster than if we talked about loose pieces of fruit (and consequently, they fatten more).

So, both to avoid the risk of obesity and to safeguard the oral health of children, who especially drink water .