名词解释：龋病俗称虫牙、蛀牙，是细菌性疾病，可以继发牙髓炎和根尖周炎，甚至能引起牙槽骨和颌骨炎症。如不及时治疗，病变继续发展，形成龋洞，终至牙冠完全破坏消失，其发展的最终结果是牙齿丧失。龋病特点是发病率高，分布广。是口腔主要的常见病，也是人类最普遍的疾病之一，世界卫生组织已将其与肿瘤和心血管疾病并列为人类三大重点防治疾病。你知道怎么用英语表达吗?

Tens of thousands of young children are suffering from tooth decay caused by drinking fruit juice and squash, a recent study has revealed.

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.

Senior dentists say the problem is often caused by well-meaning parents giving toddlers sugar-laden drinks in bottles.

Some middle-class parents would buy expensive organic juices in the belief they are healthier, but dentists have warned they can contain as much sugar as a glass of coke.

最近一项研究显示，数以万计的儿童长蛀牙是由平时喝果汁和果汁饮料导致的。

在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个孩子中就有1个患有蛀牙。

一些资深牙医称，这个问题常常是由好心的父母造成的——他们为孩子购买瓶装的含糖饮料。

有些中产阶级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，但牙医们已发出警告，称有机果汁与可乐的含糖量相当。

【讲解】

文中的tooth decay就是“蛀牙”的意思，其中tooth是“牙齿”的意思，其复数形式为teeth，常用的相关词组还有：false tooth(假牙)、brush teeth(刷牙)和baby teeth(乳牙)等。形容词dental意为“牙齿的”，“牙医”的英文是dentist，“牙痛”的英文是toothache。

此外，文中的well-meaning用作形容词，解释为“好心的、善意的”，相当于well-intended。