Use 'Sugar Tax' Proceeds for Dental Playbox, Says Children's Charity Chief

STOCKPORT, U.K. - Sept. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- Doubling the price of fizzy drinks and sweet treats with tax increases in an attempt to avoid an epidemic of tooth decay is unlikely to work without a strategy for education and prevention, said children’s charity chief Val Jackson.

The chief executive of Action for Sick Children was speaking after calls for a ‘sugar tax’ from a team at the London School of Hygiene and Medicine who said the NHS now spends more money treating tooth decay than on any other illness apart from cancer.

Miss Jackson said: “While I sympathise with the calls for action, we at A4SC are convinced that education is the key to prevention. This has been clearly proved by our ‘Dental Playbox’ initiative which delivers lessons in oral hygiene to those children most at risk.

"The Dental Playbox project works with children to help them to learn through play, appropriate to their age, how to look after their own teeth and how to cope with a visit to the dentist. Play helps children to express their anxiety and work through their experiences whilst delivering essential messages about the importance of good oral health," she added speaking from her Cheshire HQ.

“The Dental Playbox project has been extremely successful in teaching young children how to care for their teeth. The Playbox team has been particularly active in the North West of England where we have amassed significant evidence that our method of delivering dental care education through play works.

“Therefore if a decision is taken to bring in a sugar tax I would strongly suggest that some of the proceeds be devoted to making the Dental Playbox a national initiative delivering valuable dental care training to schools and nurseries right across the country.”

Miss Jackson said Action for Sick Children were currently inviting MPs to attend various Dental Playbox sessions to illustrate their effectiveness.

“We will speak with anybody who can help us bring the undoubted benefits of this initiative to the widest possible audience.”

For further information click onto: www.actionforsickchildren.org.uk

ENDS