Are dental professionals more likely to consume sweet snacks, over savoury snacks in the workplace?

Abstract

Introduction

It has been speculated, but never been formally researched that dental professionals are the most experienced workforce in consuming sweet snacks. This is despite many undergraduate dental courses reinforcing the traditional theory that patients should be advised to avoid snacking on foods which are likely to contain sticky sugars that cause tooth decay.

Design

This was a prospective study, where several dental clinics across England were provided with sweet and savoury snacks during a normal working day. Staff members were then covertly observed, and their snacking patterns assessed.

Results

The average time it took for a sweet snack to be opened and consumed in a dental environment was 3.6 minutes, compared to 7.2 minutes for savoury snacks. Dentists were more likely to be seen eating sweet snacks, as opposed to savoury snacks. Of the dentists, 36.7% were observed eating savoury snacks, compared to 44.1% eating sweet snacks. Other staff members, including administration and cleaning staff, were the most likely representative group to be seen eating any snacks under observation.

Discussion and conclusions

The rate at which sweet snacks were opened and consumed was at olympic level among dental staff. The recommendations are that the dental team revisit the Prevention toolkit for delivering better oral health and book into their local practice for a dental check-up.