The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s National Smile Month is from May 16 to June 16, 2016. The annual reminder and encouragement of good oral health reaches an average of 50 million people per year. In connection with the celebration, this article aims to differentiate stereotypes and the actual facts on British oral health.

1. British Teeth:
Stereotypes
vs
Statistics
The Harley Street Dental Clinic
http://www.harleystreetdentalclinic.co.uk

2. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s
National Smile Month is from May 16 to June 16, 2016. The
annual reminder and encouragement of good oral health reaches
an average of 50 million people per year. In connection with the
celebration, this article aims to differentiate stereotypes and the
actual facts on British oral health.
British Oral Stereotypes Countered
The British are stereotyped as having less-than-perfect teeth.
Their teeth have been described as bad, crooked, rotten and
yellow. Others associate being British with being gap-toothed.
Scientists from the British Medical Journal conducted a
comparative study of Great Britain and the United States on the
issue of oral health. The scientists based their data analysis on
the English Adult Dental Health Survey, which had around 5,600
participants, and the US National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey, which had around 12,000 participants.

3. The study reported that American oral health, in fact, is not
better than that of the English. While the idea that the British
have terrible oral health is a popular American belief, the study
showed that the United States have a significantly higher missing
teeth average.
Dental Routine Practiced
The American image of good teeth is a pearly white and perfectly
aligned smile, while the British give more importance to
minimising decay than fixing naturally discoloured teeth.
Approximately 86% of British adults currently have at least 21
natural teeth, a massive contrast from the year 1978’s 68%.
Only 27% of five-year-olds show visible dental decay, while two
out of three 12-year-olds are free of it.
To maintain healthy teeth, brushing is essential. Three out of four
British adults brush their teeth twice every day. Around 42% of
them use just a toothbrush and toothpaste, while 31% also use
mouthwash.

4. Another recommendation for good oral health is flossing, but only
21% of adults floss regularly. Half of British adults claim to visit
their dentist every six months, boosting Britain’s rank as the
second European nation likely to visit the dentist for a check-up.
A smile, which is the first thing people notice, takes only 17
muscles. In addition, teeth are the second most important
attraction feature, next to personality. Almost 48% of the
population may not be quite happy with discoloured teeth, but
British oral hygiene is just dandy.
Resources:
http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h6543
http://www.nationalsmilemonth.org/facts-figures/
http://www.harleystreetdentalclinic.co.uk