When growing up, my brothers and I would often walk to my nan’s house. On arrival Nan would offer us a drink of ‘fizzy pop’; this was a generic term Nan used for any form of fizzy drink. It may not have grabbed the headlines in the same way the horsemeat scandal has, but there is no question in my mind the offer she made was just as misleading – there were serious question marks of the fizziness of the fizzy pop.
Suspicion was always aroused if when the bottle was opened there wasn’t the hissing sound one would expect, and the lack of bubbles rushing towards the surface was another sign to look out for. It would always fall upon one brother, typically me as I was the youngest, to test the offering. A small sip would be taken and then a discrete signal given to the siblings as to whether the liquid was safe or undrinkable poison! If we refused to drink it we were told off for being spoilt, but now it seems we weren’t that far off the mark when we complained it wasn’t good for us. Recently ‘pop’ (fizzy or not) came into the headlines because although it may be good to drink it can cause damage to one’s health.
In this issue we have an article on the negative effects of energy drinks (page 34-36) as well as a discussion over the proposed tax of sugary drinks. In dentistry you are taught to only ever act within the boundaries of your knowledge and competence; and in the debate on pages 26–30 I have followed that advice. I have taken on the argument against such a tax. I would phrase this as playing devil’s advocate though essentially it is ‘being the annoying one’ (my colleagues tell me it is a role I was made for – certainly within my competence). The British Dental Health Foundation answer this with a piece explaining why a tax should be introduced and the benefits it will have to society, and dentistry.
Also in this issue is our BDA Conference preview. The event which takes place at the ExCel later this month is packed with an impressive line-up of speakers, and supported by a trade exhibition showing off the wares of some of the UK’s leading companies. Of course George Warman Publications has a stand (d17) where we will be displaying our lead titles and showing off new innovations such as the Dental Update App. Please do come along and share your views on the magazine, all feedback is welcome and will help to ensure the magazine is heading in the direction you want it to. See you there!