Nova Scotia Dentists Call for Intervention on Sugar Sweetened Drinks in Provincial Oral Health Report

NSDA's Annual Report Explores the Sour Truth behind Sugary Drinks'

Tweetable Highlights:

• NSDA survey revealed 50% of #NovaScotians don't know how much #sugar they're consuming every day
• 71% of #NovaScotians agree that the current provincial government should be taking steps to reduce #sugar consumption amongst residents
• #ToothDecay is the world's number one chronic disease & SSBs are a leading risk factor: www.nsdental.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Oral Health Report 2016.pdf  
• It's more than cavities. Too much #sugar can lead to serious #healthproblems like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity and cancer

HALIFAX, NS, March 15, 2016 /CNW/ - Nova Scotia dentists are urging the public to beware of the negative health effects of sugary drinks and calling for intervention to curb the problem. 

The Nova Scotia Dental Association (NSDA) launched its second annual provincial oral health report today, Tuesday, March 15.

The report, The Sour Truth Behind Sugar Sweetened Beverages revealed that 50 per cent of Nova Scotians are unaware of how much sugar they consume daily. This is a concern for the province's dentists who continue to see the serious oral and overall health effects of excessive sugar consumption like tooth decay, heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

In addition to providing accurate, educational information for the public, the report encourages sugar reduction amongst Nova Scotians through at-home-tips and government initiatives. The report is available at nsdental.org.

"Sugar sweetened beverages such as soft drinks, sports drinks, juices, energy drinks and ready-to-drink coffees and teas are the single largest contributor of sugar in our diets," says NSDA president, Dr. Russell MacSween. "The role of the oral health in overall health is important to Nova Scotia dentists, and the impact of poor nutrition reaches well beyond cavities. It's important that, as consumers of these beverages, we start asking ourselves what they're doing to our health and what can we do to limit our consumption."

The NSDA sees this as a serious health issue for all Nova Scotians and hopes to draw attention to the problem through this report.

The provincial oral health report is an annual document produced by the NSDA that strives to communicate important content that reflects the current oral health and overall health concerns of Nova Scotians.

ABOUT THE NOVA SCOTIA DENTAL ASSOCIATION
The Nova Scotia Dental Association is the recognized voice for dentistry in Nova Scotia, representing over 500 member dentists. Our mission is to help the dentists of Nova Scotia to be better dentists in service to all Nova Scotians. For more information please visit our website at nsdental.org or twitter and Facebook pages.

SOURCE Nova Scotia Dental Association

Video with caption: "Do you know what the largest contribution of sugar is in your diet? Chances are it’s sugar sweetened beverages. Whether it's soft drinks, sport drinks, juices, energy drinks or specialty teas and coffees, 50% of Nova Scotians are unaware of how much sugar they consume every day.". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20160315_C4340_VIDEO_EN_642332.mp4&posterurl=http%3a%2f%2fphotos.newswire.ca%2fimages%2f20160315_C4340_PHOTO_EN_642332.jpg&order=1&jdd=20160315&cnum=C4340

Lesley Squarey - Communications Manager, Nova Scotia Dental Association, [phone], [email protected]