In line with World Oral Health Day today, The New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) is urging the Government to "switch off the sugar tap" in schools.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, NZDA president Dr Amanda Johnston said the consumption of sugary drinks is a leading cause for dental caries, weight gain and obesity in New Zealand.
"With over a third of our country's children overweight or obese, and dental disease being the leading cause of preventable hospital admissions for children in New Zealand, some things need to change.
"Sugary drinks offer no nutritional value but contribute a huge amount of acid and empty calories to the diet, which for too many, lead to unhealthy weight gain and damaged teeth."
She said that for example, one 600ml bottle of coke has 16 teaspoons of sugar, which equates to more than double the total recommended daily intake of refined sugar.
"One simple thing government can do to protect the health of our children, is ban these beverages from all intermediate and secondary schools and introduce a water-only policy.
"Water is the best option for our growing children - not only for their teeth, but their bodies too. A diet high in sugar has also been shown to negatively impact behaviour and learning ability," Johnston said.
She said applying these measures is the best and most cost-effective way of reducing sickness, "so cutting the availability of sugary drinks at schools would be a great move".
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