A recent report in The Sunday Times highlighted that crisps were better as eating dried fruit was like ‘gluing sugar to the teeth’! Ben Atkins, a dentist and spokesman for the British Dental Association said crisps were ‘totally fine’ for teeth. Ordinary crisps were better because some children’s brands had added sugar.

Inevitably it is advice like this that makes giving children the right snacks even more confusing. Not only is the type of food/drink an important consideration but also how long sugar is ‘left’ in the child’s mouth, due to the nature of the food. The impact of sugary drinks has long been highlighted but snacks which parents could feel were a healthy alternative, much less so.

As always, the advice is that children should brush their teeth morning and night and should be shown how to and monitored to ensure it is achieved effectively. Secondly, sugary snacks should be provided very occasionally.