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Dentists are renewing calls for a soft drinks ban in schools following the government's cellphone ban.
The New Zealand Dental Association says soft drinks are "decimating" the country's children.
"Not only do they cause tooth decay, they also contribute to obesity and type 2 diabetes," spokesperson Dr Rob Beaglehole said.
"Approximately 8500 children last year had to go to hospital to have their teeth taken out under general anaesthetic. Tooth decay is entirely preventable, the number one reason we get holes in our teeth is because of sugar."
Soft drinks contained significantly more sugar than was suitable for children, he said.
"A 600ml bottle of Coca Cola contains 16 teaspoons of sugar. The World Health Organisation only recommends that children have a maximum of three teaspoons of sugar per day."
That was more than five days worth of sugar in just one bottle.
"There's no nutritional benefit to drinking sugary drinks, there's nothing in it that is beneficial."
Beaglehole said sugar free soft drinks were also risky.
"Some people believe artificially sweetened beverages are a healthy choice [but] the New Zealand Dental Association does not believe this.
"The problem about [sugar free soft drinks] is they are extremely acidic, so although they won't rot your teeth they will still dissolve them."
He called for the government to enforce water-only policies on school grounds.
"Currently most primary schools have water-only policies, but what we'd like to see is the government mandate all schools, including high schools, to have water-only policies."
The government's ban on cellphones in classrooms set a new precedent, he said.
"We know the government displayed leadership by banning cellphones from all schools in New Zealand, that is a great step," he said.
"The same thing can be said for water-only policies. We know parents support this, and many high schools have already adopted water-only policies [and] have no problems enforcing it."
Banning soft drinks would lead to significant savings in the health sector, Beaglehole said.
