What do you know about the sugar tax?

The sugar tax is essentially a tax on all things sugar, especially fizzy drinks. This was implemented in 2018 to limit sugar intake by the public to curb tooth decay and obesity.

Sugar is the driving force to tooth decay and with sugary foods being so accessible, many people suffered from tooth decay. The aim of the sugar tax was to manage obesity, tooth decay and diabetes.

Relevance to dentistry:

The sugar tax did help with tooth decay, especially for those in deprived areas. The sugar tax was essentially a preventative measure to control dental decay, and it did work since there were less hospital admissions for tooth extractions due to tooth decay.

In your answer talk about how this is part of a wide public health strategy and how you can potentially implement for-eg fluoridated water.

Suggested structure for this answer:

• Define what is meant by the term 'sugar tax'
• Describe the aims of it
• Relevance to dentistry