Dental coalition urges analysis of sugar-sweetened beverages

Sixteen dental organizations have asked the White House to commission a U.S. Surgeon General's report on relationships between specific dietary practices and oral diseases.

"We strongly urge you to commission a report that, at a minimum, evaluates scientific literature on the extent to which sugar-sweetened beverage consumption affects oral health," said the coalition letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the administration's chief health officer, according to an ADA News report.

"From a dental perspective, a steady diet of sugary foods and drinks, including juice and sports drinks, can damage teeth," the coalition stated. "A report from the Surgeon General will shine a light on this issue and, hopefully, generate fact-based policies around which the oral health community can coalesce."

In addition to the ADA, organizations signing the letter included the Academy of General Dentistry, American Academy of Periodontology, American Association for Dental Research, American Association of Dental Consultants, American Association of Endodontists, American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Association of Public Health Dentistry, American Association of Women Dentists, American College of Prosthodontists, American Dental Education Association, American Dental Hygienists' Association, American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists, Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors, Hispanic Dental Association, and National Dental Association.