'Heartbreaking': Hawke's Bay dentist forced to ban fizzy drink to stop kids drinking it in waiting room

A Hawke's Bay dentist says he has had to ban fizzy drink and junk food from his clinics because parents are giving it to children in the waiting room.

Sundar Jagadeesan, director of Dentiq Dental Services in Greenmeadows, Napier, said it was "heart-breaking" that he had to do it at all.

Jagadeesan said he had treated toddlers in the recent past who needed all their teeth pulled out.

This would then lead to more complex and expensive issues when they were teenagers, because no matter how well they treated their adult teeth, they would need braces.

He said if cost was the only barrier to dental care in New Zealand, everyone up to the age of 18 would have healthy teeth.

"It's reality that many of these kids, actually don't regularly visit their dentist, yet it's free.

"The attitude towards dental health is appalling and if a healthcare provider mentions this then he or she is not politically correct.

"The reality is a patient who goes to the dentist every six months for a check-up and cleans their teeth spends less on dental care over their lifetime."

Bad dental health could also lead to more complex issues, including heart attacks and strokes, he said.

Jagadeesan said while targeted subsidies would help some people, there also needed to be more education on the importance of dental health.

He also supported an introduction of a Government-driven sugar tax.

"New Zealand boasts of the best milk in the world but unfortunately fizzy drinks which destroy teeth and enamel are cheaper than water and milk."

He said there needed to be more education about the importance of dental care, and it needed to start in school.

He went as far as to suggest NCEA credits for teenagers who had a history of visiting the dentist, as a form of encouragement.

Jagadeesan runs the Smile Club, a dollar a day programme where members get all preventative dental work, including check-ups and fluoride application included in their membership, as well as discounted prices for more complex procedures.

He said it was very well-received, and currently had about 80 members.

Last week a petition with 10,000 signatures was presented to Parliament calling for more affordable health care.

It calls for free dental care for everyone under 20, as well as targeted subsidies for communities who need them.

Jagadeesan said it was one step towards improving dental health, but it could not be the only action taken.