The world’s poorest nations are being denied access to fluoride toothpaste due to its high costs, a new study has revealed.
The research - published in BioMed Central's open-access journal Globalization and Health – was carried out in a bid to attempt to measure the affordability of toothpaste across the globe.
Researchers compared the relative affordability of fluoride toothpaste in 48 countries and found that the poorest populations of developing nations are affected the most.
A worldwide tendency to eat a more westernised diet, which is higher in carbohydrates and refined sugars, has resulted in an increasing prevalence of tooth decay in developing countries, which can lead to malnutrition and a reduced quality of life.
The researchers said fluoride toothpaste is the most widely used method of preventing dental decay, but currently only 12.5 per cent of the world benefits from it due to its cost, which is too high in some parts of the world.
Researcher Ann Goldman commented: "Because of the importance of fluoride toothpaste in preventing tooth decay, it must be made more available to the world's poorest populations."
"Steps should be taken to make fluoride toothpaste more affordable and more accessible."
She added that this can be achieved by "exempting fluoride toothpaste from taxation, encouraging the local manufacture of fluoride toothpaste and persuading multi-national manufacturers to implement different pricing policies for poorer countries".
