A new study, published in the American Journal of Dentistry, has revealed that chewing just one piece of sugar-free gum each day could save £3.3 billion worldwide from the treatment of tooth decay.
Tooth decay and oral diseases rank fourth among the most expensive health conditions to treat globally, according to the World Health Organisation.
Affecting 60-90% of schoolchildren and nearly all adults globally, tooth decay is largely preventable.
The study follows a piece of research in 2016 that showed that the NHS could save up to £8.2million per year, if all twelve year olds in the UK increased their consumption of sugar-free gum.
“Chewing sugar-free gum as a preventive measure for tooth decay has the potential to deliver significant dental care cost savings worldwide,” said Professor Reinhard Rychlik, MA MD, PhD, PhD, Director of the IfEG and the study’s lead author.