Role of Non-nutritive sweeteners in oral health/caries prevention-An Educational symposium for Dental Professionals

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Preventing dental caries is an essential skill for all dental professionals yet information from expert interviews conducted by IAFNS and a review of the literature suggest a gap in knowledge around the safety and benefits of LNCS to oral health. These professionals are often called upon to provide advice regarding the importance of diet in caries prevention and can benefit from education on the role of sugars and nonnutritive sweeteners in caries formation and health. As such, they must be familiar with alternatives to sugar and the types of food products that are available with non-cariogenic sweetening agents. The American Dental Association (ADA) policies on diet and nutrition encourages members to obtain continuing education to learn more about the relationship between diet, nutrition, and oral health and encourage collaborations with stakeholders to understand the latest science-based nutrition recommendations and raise interprofessional awareness.

Phase I: IAFNS staff will work with oral health experts and members of the American Dental Association to develop an educational symposium for dental health professionals to educate then in the following areas:

  • Safety & efficacy of LNCS and LNCS as a substitute for sugar and effects on sugar consumption and body weight
  • The anti and non-cariogenic properties of NNS- what is known and where more research is needed
  • Dietary patterns associated with dental caries, prevention, and recommendations

Phase II: The Symposium will be submitted to the Greater NY Dental Meeting and or another scientific conference for dental health professionals for 2025. The results of the symposium will be drafted into a review paper for submission for publication in the Journal of the American Dental Association.

Project Lead: Trish Zecca

Start Date: May 2024

This work is supported by the IAFNS Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners Committee