Dental problems will increase sharply in Kenya in the next decade due drastic changes in diet, the dental association has warned.

Research done by the umbrella dentists body has discovered that the complaints, also referred to as oral health problems, are the result of an increased consumption of sugary foods and drinks.

Consumption of sugar in recent years has risen threefold as Western foods, which are full of refined sugars, replace the otherwise nutritious traditional dishes.

Leading the pack is tooth decay, which affects people as young as three years in both the rural and the urban areas.