New research suggests that dental professionals are well-placed to offer brief, effective advice to children and teenagers to cut back on sugary drinks, with potential to improve oral and overall health outcomes.
Dental teams could play a useful part in helping children and teenagers cut back on sugary drinks, according to new research that found broad support for brief, practical advice in routine care.
The qualitative study, published online in the British Dental Journal and led by researchers in Sheffield, explored views from children, adolescents, parents, caregivers and oral health professionals across general practice, as well as paediatric and orthodontic services. The authors wanted to understand whether dental settings could be used more actively to tackle sugar-sweetened beverage intake, which remains a major contributor to daily calorie consumption among young people in the UK.
Participants generally accepted that dentists and other oral health professionals are well placed to raise the issue, particularly because sugary drinks are closely linked to tooth decay. The study found, however, that some clinicians were not always clear on the difference between drinks sweetened with sugar and those using artificial sweeteners, and that younger participants and their families were more likely to mention newer products such as bubble tea and iced coffee when talking about habitual consumption.
The research also suggested that conversations about general health need careful handling. Dental professionals were more comfortable discussing the effect of sugary drinks on teeth than on obesity or type 2 diabetes, with some saying they were wary of raising weight-related issues because of the risk of stigma or complaints. Even so, children, teenagers and caregivers said they would welcome concrete guidance on healthier alternatives and realistic ways to reduce intake, rather than lectures or scare tactics.
The findings fit with earlier evidence that behaviour change interventions can work when they are properly designed. A 2018 review in Nutrition Reviews found that programmes aimed at reducing sugary drink intake in children and adolescents were effective overall, especially when they included advice about health consequences, environmental changes and goal setting. More recently, a 2025 review and meta-analysis in Evidence-Based Dentistry reported encouraging results from school-based approaches, with studies showing reductions in sugary soft drink consumption across different types of intervention. A 2017 review likewise found that most school-based programmes succeeded, particularly those using legislative or environmental strategies.
In the new study, oral health professionals said they could imagine using several approaches to motivate younger patients, including framing the issue around a better smile and linking reduced sugary drink consumption to orthodontic treatment. They were careful, researchers noted, not to use invasive treatment as a threat. Participants also pointed to taste, peer pressure, parental behaviour and social media as important drivers of consumption, underlining how hard it can be to shift habits in adolescence.
Time pressure in National Health Service primary dental care emerged as a major obstacle, alongside concerns that current payment systems reward treatment more than prevention. Even so, many clinicians said they would welcome training and clearer evidence-based guidance, suggesting that any intervention would need to be brief, practical and easy to fit into routine appointments.
The authors concluded that dental teams could have an important role in reducing sugar-sweetened beverage intake among children and adolescents, but that better resources are needed to make advice both consistent and effective. They recommended co-designing future interventions with patients, families and professionals, combining short conversations with take-home material, and testing whether the approach produces lasting reductions in sugary drink consumption and helps prevent caries.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
