People's teeth are being badly damaged by what's being described as an excessive office "cake culture", according to the UK's chief dentist.

Employees are too eager to share sweets and sugary goods with one another in the workplace, putting their oral and coronary health at serious risk, warns Professor Nigel Hunt, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (FDS) at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, London.

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He said: "Managers want to reward staff for their efforts, colleagues want to celebrate special occasions, and workers want to bring back a gift from their holidays.

"But for many people the workplace is now the primary site of their sugar intake and is contributing to the current obesity epidemic and poor oral health."

He has said that he is alarmed by figures that show nearly 65,000 adults every year need hospital treatment for tooth decay. He added: "Cake culture also poses difficulties for those who are trying their hardest to lose weight or become healthier — how many of us have begun such diets only to cave in to the temptation of the doughnuts, cookies or the triple-chocolate biscuits?"

The FDS have also also called on the government to restrict adverts for sugary food and drinks and consider encourage supermarkets to replace high-sugar foods near checkouts with healthier alternatives, using legislation if necessary.

The government plans to introduce a 'sugar tax' levy on soft drinks in April 2018, which would apply a charge to manufacturers and distributors of such beverages that contain more than a certain amount of sugar.