Australasian Dentist Issue 89

Category 10 AustrAlAsiAn Dentist D ental experts have welcomed the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) call for a tax on sugary drinks to help safeguard the oral health and overall well-being of millions of Australians. “tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases in Australia and worldwide and is the second most costly diet- related disease in Australia,” Australian Dental Association new south Wales (ADA nsW) President Dr Kathleen Matthews said. “Consuming too much sugar is one of the main factors causing tooth decay and other oral health issues. “Almost one in two Australian adults and more than two- thirds of Australian children are consuming too much free sugar. sugar sweetened Beverages (ssBs) are the largest source of added sugars in the Australian diet. Drinking a can of soft drink each day will significantly increase the risk of tooth decay and dental erosion. “there can be as much as 17 teaspoons of sugar in an energy drink. You wouldn’t dream of consuming that much sugar in one go – why drink it? “ADA nsW has previously called for a tax on ssBs as part of a comprehensive program aimed at educating the public to limit their consumption of such drinks. A price increase from a 20% levy could provide an additional $400m government revenue and could help fund a public education campaign informing healthier purchasing and dietary habits, especially aimed at children. M ore than 1,000 monthly instagram posts containing the hashtag #estheticDentistry provide evidence that dental professionals take great pride in making a lasting impact on their patients experiencing tooth decay and loss. through the global smileAward, straumann aims to highlight the best work of dental care practitioners who work tirelessly and with great professionalism to change people’s lives – one smile at a time. People’s choice in partnership with Zerodonto, straumann’s smileAward contest invited participants to vote on the best immediate implant protocol patient cases submitted by dentists around the globe. “We’re thrilled about implementing this ‘people’s choice’ element of our smileAward contest,” said Holger Haderer, Group Head of Marketing & education straumann. “Getting real people’s input aligns with our mission to change people’s lives by giving smiles back. With this contest, we aim to see this impact in action,” he added. the top 20 patient cases selected by the public voters through the smileAward “A levy would reduce consumption of ssBs and help lead to sustained reductions in the incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, resulting in thousands of healthy life years and millions of dollars saved in healthcare costs. “ADA nsW welcomes the AMA’s proposals for a sugar tax and calls on the Federal Government to follow the example of dozens of countries across the globe and implement a sugar tax to help improve health outcomes for all Australians.” u To read ADA NSW’s position statement on a sugar tax, click onto the following link. https://www.adansw.com.au/ AustralianDentalAssociation/media/Howler/Marketing/ADA-NSW- Position-Sugar-Sweetened-Beverage-Levy.pdf contest will be forwarded to an evaluation Jury of dentistry leaders. eight finalists will then be chosen and move on to the final phase. the grand winners will be announced during the prestigious iti World symposium 2021 – running online from september 1-5, 2021. “Don’t let time run out, and act fast to spread the word about the straumann smileAward contest to dentists changing lives worldwide with their excellent esthetic dentistry work. straumann wants to showcase them and reward the best. We are happy about the interest and great straumann’s global smileAward rewards life changing immediacy treatments n ws Dr Kathleen Matthews cases we have already received, there is still time to take part, so we encourage everyone to submit their case,” said Alizia trambaiolo, Director, Head of Global Medical Marketing & excellence at straumann. As a global leader in implant and esthetic dentistry, the straumann brand is a trusted name with dentists and dental professionals across the world. straumann’s state-of-the-art implantology equipment helps dental clinics to offer patients optimal service and give smiles back. u Dental experts welcome call for sugar tax