Stop office cake culture, Dentists warn bosses

The office tradition of cake sharing on birthdays and other important events should be stopped, Dentists have warned.

The dental faculty of the Royal College of Surgeons says bosses should substitute cakes and biscuits with fruit and nuts.

Dentists say that fewer cakes in the office would help improve dental health and tackle obesity.

According to the dentists, figures for 2015-16 show that around 63% of adults were either overweight or obese and almost 63,000 persons over 18 were admitted to hospital because of tooth decay.

“Managers want to reward staff for their efforts, colleagues want to celebrate special occasions and workers want to bring back a gift from their holidays,” Nigel Hunt, dean of the faculty of dental surgery, says in a statement.

“While these sweet treats might be well meaning, they are also contributing to the current obesity epidemic and poor oral health .

“We need a culture change in offices and other workplaces that encourages healthy eating and helps workers avoid caving in to sweet temptations such as cakes, sweets and biscuits.”

The faculty strongly urged employers to remove high sugar products from the office and replace them with low-sugar items.

The statement added that each time sugar is eaten, it creates acid which attacks tooth enamel and leads to decay.