Across Australia, nearly one in three adults carries untreated tooth decay — a quiet epidemic shaped as much by economics as by habit. Researchers at Griffith University have now modeled what a 20 percent tax on sugar could accomplish, finding it might prevent 3.7 million cases of tooth decay, 191,000 cases of gum disease, and 115,000 instances of complete tooth loss over a population's lifetime. The study, published in BMJ Public Health, invites policymakers to see sugar not merely as a dietary concern but as a structural force shaping who suffers and who does not. In placing the price of swe
Sugar tax could prevent 3.7M tooth decay cases in Australia, study finds
Currently, 32% of Australian adults have untreated tooth decay and 3.5 billion people globally suffer from oral diseases.