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The impact of sugar-sweetened beverages tax on oral health-related outcomes: a systematic review of the current evidence

Evidence-Based Dentistry (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective To provide a systematic overview of the impact of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on oral health-related outcomes.

Data sources For this PRISMA-compliant review, we searched PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Central for relevant studies published from database inception to 27 August 2020.

Data selection and extraction Two reviewers assessed the abstracts and then the full text of the studies. Primary studies that evaluated the impact of any kind of SSB tax on oral health-related outcomes (that is, decayed, missing and filled teeth, caries increment and dental treatment costs) were included.

Data synthesis Of 503 search results, five studies met the inclusion criteria. All five were modelling studies, from which four studies predicted an SSB tax to have a positive impact on oral health-related outcomes, whereas one study in a developing country did not find an SSB tax to be solely successful. According to three studies, the younger population and men are likely to benefit the most from such a tax. One study demonstrated the benefits of an SSB tax to be potentially more significant among low-income individuals.

Conclusion While no empirical studies are available to support the benefits of an SSB tax, the studies covered in this review altogether anticipate a positive impact. Furthermore, this review discusses some of the obstacles and limitations of implementing such a tax predicted by the included studies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr Bahareh Tahani for her helpful comments on the draft of this manuscript and also Dr Mahshid Namdari for her support throughout the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Cochrane Iran Associate Centre, National Institute for Medical Research Development, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Shakiba

  2. Cochrane Iran Associate Centre, National Institute for Medical Research Development, Tehran, Iran

    Pouria Iranparvar

  3. Department of Community Oral Health, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad-Pooyan Jadidfard

Authors
  1. Maryam Shakiba
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  2. Pouria Iranparvar
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  3. Mohammad-Pooyan Jadidfard
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Contributions

Mohammad-Pooyan Jadidfard and Maryam Shakiba designed the research question and the aim of the study. The search strategy was conducted through discussion between Mohammad-Pooyan Jadidfard, Pouria Iranparvar and Maryam Shakiba. Maryam Shakiba and Pouria Iranparvar searched the databases, independently selected the included articles and extracted the data from the included papers. Mohammad-Pooyan Jadidfard revised the results. All three authors interpreted the data, were included in the process of writing the discussion and conclusion and have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mohammad-Pooyan Jadidfard.

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Shakiba, M., Iranparvar, P. & Jadidfard, MP. The impact of sugar-sweetened beverages tax on oral health-related outcomes: a systematic review of the current evidence. Evid Based Dent (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41432-022-0830-1

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