Why, when we have the capacity to create whatever food environment we choose, have we engineered one so conducive to harm? This talk examines oral ill-health not as a failure of lifestyle or parental responsibility, but as an outcome of financialised food systems that systematically privilege market priorities over nourishment and bodily balance.
Drawing on scholarship on the commercial determinants of health, I argue that childhood oral ill-health is not an unfortunate by-product of modern life but a patterned consequence of contemporary market priorities. Transnational food corporations engineer taste, satiety and desire; governments ‘roll back’ protective regulation while ‘rolling out’ behavioural interventions; and responsibility is displaced onto individuals through the moral economy of lifestyle and choice.
The language of ‘unintended consequences’ functions politically, obscuring how harms are administered through institutional arrangements that externalise costs onto children, families and public systems. Oral ill-health thus becomes a site where structural imbalances and financial growth distortions are sedimented in enamel and embodied over time.
Re-politicising oral health requires moving beyond downstream education toward upstream transformation: confronting corporate power, reasserting regulatory governance, and reframing access to healthy food and drinks as a collective right.
Explore the latest research, innovations, and techniques shaping the future of paediatric dentistry worldwide.
Engage with experts, peers, and international professionals passionate about advancing children’s oral health together.
Gain valuable CPD accreditation while enhancing your skills and expanding your paediatric dental expertise.
Enjoy a world-class event at Hyatt Regency Sydney, set against the stunning harbour and city skyline.
Join ANZSPD to enjoy discounted registration and unlock exclusive member benefits throughout the year.
Contribute to global conversations shaping paediatric dentistry and improving outcomes for little smiles everywhere.
Sign up for updates on registration, early bird rates, program announcements and special offers.
Stay informed about ANZSPD Congress 2026. Sign up for early bird access, key announcements, exclusive offers, and speaker updates.
