Tooth decay is not destiny: it is a largely preventable disease, and nutrition is half the game. Here is what the evidence says — and how to translate it into real family life.
The WHO sugar rule
The World Health Organization recommends limiting free sugars (added sugars plus juices and honey) to under 10% of daily energy, with further benefit below 5%. No obsession needed — just awareness of where sugars hide.
The real enemies: frequency and stickiness
More than total grams, what matters is how often teeth meet sugar and how long it stays. Sipped sugary drinks, gummy sweets, biscuits that stick between teeth: the worst scenarios.
In practice, for parents
- Water as the default drink; juices and sodas as exceptions, at meals.
- Sweets at mealtimes, not as scattered snacks.
- Smart snacks: whole fruit, bread and olive oil, plain yogurt.
- Brushing twice a day with age-appropriate fluoride toothpaste.
- No bedtime bottle with sugary liquids (see our baby-bottle decay article).
The practice's role
At periodic visits we assess individual caries risk and, where indicated, apply fluoride prophylaxis and fissure sealants. And we talk to children about sugar and brushing in their own language: prevention works when it's a game, not a punishment.
Sources
- WHO, Guideline: Sugars intake for adults and children, 2015 — the 10% and 5% thresholds for free sugars.
- WHO, Oral health fact sheet — fluoride and daily hygiene in caries prevention.
- Italian Ministry of Health, National guidelines for oral health in childhood — fluoride prophylaxis and sealants.