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ACFF addresses need to limit sugar intake in children

At this year’s event, the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future will give families valuable tips on how to prevent dental caries in children. (Photograph: MNStudio/Shutterstock)

Tue. 8 October 2019

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LONDON, UK: The Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future (ACFF) is a not-for-profit organisation formed by a group of dental professionals. According to the ACFF, between 60% and 90% of schoolchildren and nearly 100% of adults worldwide have dental caries, and it is the single biggest contributing factor in hospital admissions of British children.

In 2011, the ACFF launched its first chapter in Colombia. Currently, the organisation has 28 chapters spanning 40 countries and continues its work towards the goal that every child born after 2026 will remain caries-free throughout his or her lifetime.

World Cavity-Free Future Day, a global initiative founded by the ACFF, runs annually and is now in its fourth year. This year’s event will be held on Monday, 14 October, and will be headlined by the hashtag #BabiesAreSweetEnough to emphasise the need to limit the sugar intake of children, particularly for those younger than 2 years of age.

This year’s World Cavity-Free Future Day encourages families to:

  • increase the age at which food and drinks containing sugar are introduced to children’s diets and reduce the frequency of their consumption;
  • brush children’s teeth twice a day with an age-appropriate amount of fluoride toothpaste (at least 1,000 ppm);
  • ensure children visit a dentist before they are 1 year old;
  • be mindful that bottle-feeding and breastfeeding beyond 12 months of age increases a child’s risk of caries.

Each of the ACFF’s chapters will be campaigning in their respective localities to spread the message on this day. “Only through cooperation and action will we make a difference in controlling the dental caries process with families all over the world,” said Prof. Nigel Pitts, Global Chairman of the ACFF.

More information and resources on caries prevention can be found here.

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