cTens of thousands of young children are suffering from rotting teeth caused by drinking fruit juice and squash, a major study has revealed.

最近一项研究称，儿童长蛀牙与平时喝的果汁和汽水有关。

As many as one in eight children have suffered tooth decay by the age of three – although in some parts of England the rates are as high as a third.

研究显示3岁儿童中，每8个人中就有1个患有蛀牙，在英国的某些地区甚至每3个人孩子中就有1个。

Senior dentists say the problem is often caused by well-meaning parents giving toddlers sugar-laden drinks in bottles and beakers. They are now urging families to restrict children to milk and water.

一些牙医称这个问题常常是由父母造成的，他们好心为孩子购买瓶装含糖饮料，却“好心办了坏事”。现在牙医要求家长只给孩子喝水和牛奶。

Middle-class parents who buy expensive organic juices in the belief they are healthier have been warned they can contain as much sugar as a glass of coke.

有些家境不错的父母会给孩子买较贵的有机果汁，认为它们更健康，但事实上有机果汁与可乐的含糖量相当。

One health official observed: ‘Posh sugar is no better than any other sugar.’

一位卫生官员曾说：“无论贵贱，只要含糖量高，都一样有害。”

Earlier this year health officials urged the public to cut their sugar intake¹ to between five and seven teaspoons² a day to prevent rising levels of obesity³ and rotting teeth.

今年年初，卫生官员们曾督促公众减少摄糖量每天5-7茶匙即可，这样可以预防肥胖和蛀牙等问题。

A 200ml glass of organic apple juice contains 20 grams of sugar – nearly five teaspoons – only slightly less than the same amount of coke, which has 22 grams.

一杯200毫升的有机苹果汁含糖量20克、约5茶匙，这只比200毫升的可乐所含的糖少2克。

Experts, including the chief medical officer Dame⁴ Sally Davies, have called for a tax to be slapped on sugary drinks to deter⁵ the public from buying them.

包括首席医疗官戴姆·萨利·戴姆斯在内的一些专家呼吁对含糖饮料征税，以阻止公众购买。

In the first study of its kind, officials at Public Health England – a Government agency – examined the teeth of a sample of 53,640 three-year-olds at nursery schools.

英国公共卫生的官员们在一项研究中检查了幼儿园53640名3岁儿童的牙齿。

They found an average of 12 per cent – one in eight – had tooth decay ranging from small holes, needing fillings or having teeth extracted.

他们发现平均有12%即八分之一的儿童有蛀牙问题，包括牙齿有小洞、需要补牙和拔牙等。

Many parents give children fruit juice or squash in bottles and beakers to comfort them or before bed. They may suck them for hours on end – with the sugar slowly eroding⁶ their teeth. Officials say if children must have juice it should be from a cup which is drunk quickly, causing minimal⁷ harm to their teeth.

许多父母在哄孩子的时候或睡觉之前给孩子喝瓶装的果汁或汽水。孩子们会一连喝上几个小时，这期间糖分就在慢慢腐蚀着他们的牙齿。官员们称，如果孩子们非要喝果汁，那也应该倒进大口杯里并让孩子尽快喝完，这样可以把对牙齿的危害降到最低。

Although the decay affects children’s milk teeth, which fall out naturally, experts say it also harms their gums making them more prone⁸ to infection in adulthood⁹.

虽然孩子患蛀牙的是会自然掉下的乳牙，但专家称这同样会危害到孩子的牙龈，从而使他们在成年后牙龈更容易受感染。