Conflicts of interest between the sugary food and beverage industry and dental research organisations: time for reform.

Author: Kearns CE, Bero LA

Source: The Lancet

Year: 2019

Comment:

Abstract / Excerpt:

Prevention of dental caries (tooth decay), one of the most common chronic diseases globally,1 requires the global implementation of WHO’s guideline on sugars intake.2,3 WHO recommends that individuals consume less than 10% of total energy intake from free sugars and that intake below 5% would be beneficial.3 The global dental research community, as the Lancet oral health Series1,2argues, has an important role in the implementation
of the WHO guideline by promoting research on public health and dietary interventions, among other actions. However, dental research activities have not focused on sugars for many years. To remedy this, the European Organisation for Caries Research (ORCA) and the European Association of Dental Public Health (EADPH) organised a joint symposium on sugars in 2015 to stimulate new research.4 The same year, the American Dental Association urged the US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to increase research on sugars and oral health.5

Citation: Kearns CE, Bero LA. Conflicts of interest between the sugary food and beverage industry and dental research organisations: time for reform. The Lancet. 2019;394(10194):194-6.