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Americans do not have better teeth than the British, study concludes
Maybe the Americans spread such lies to deflect from their appalling teeth...?
So, I'm well into my 40s, got all my teeth including my wisdom teeth - and not even a single filling! Same with my girlfriend.
The British have been mocked about their poor teeth for decades, but it's entirely unfounded, a study has concluded
For years the British have been mocked by Americans for their wonky smiles and discoloured crooked teeth.
In one episode of The Simpsons, a dentist scares a young patient into better oral hygiene by opening ‘The Big Book of British Smiles’ featuring the misaligned molars of the Prince of Wales and Sherlock Holmes.
In Mexico bad teeth are referred to as ‘dientes Ingles.’
But a new study suggests the Brits have been unfairly maligned. According to University College London and Harvard University, Britons have no worse dental health than the Americans, and in fact, we have fewer missing teeth.
The study showed that the average number of missing teeth was significantly higher in the US – with the average person missing 7.31 teeth compared to 6.97 in Britain.
"There is a longstanding belief in the United States that the British have terrible teeth, much worse than US citizens, ," said lead author Dr Richard Watt, Professor in Dental Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, at UCL.
"This view dates back at least 100 years, with toothpaste adverts extolling the virtues of American smiles.
"Contemporary examples of this belief in popular US culture range from The Simpsons to the Hollywood character Austin Powers and his repugnant smile.
"Contrary to popular belief, our study showed that the oral health of US citizens is not better than the English, with Americans having significantly more missing teeth."
"In conclusion we have shown that the oral health of Americans is not better than the English"
The US and UK researchers looked at data from thousands of people from the English English Adult Dental Health Survey and the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
They looked for examples of missing teeth, adults' perceptions of their oral health and the effect of poor teeth on daily life such as pain, difficulty eating, avoiding smiling and social effects. Levels of education and household income were also examined.
The National Health Service provides free orthodontics to under-18s "who need it". But the braces provided are metal and children are often unwilling to have them fitted during their teenage years. Parents who want less obvious ceramic or plastic versions, often clear or even invisible, have to go private.
Earlier this year BBC television doctor Dr Chris van Tulleken said Britain has become "internationally renowned" for having "really lousy" teeth.
While having stains and decay is frowned on in America and other countries, "it doesn't really bother us" in the UK, he said.
However recent statistics show that on pure oral health rather than appearance, the UK does far better than the US.
The last figures for OECD countries put the UK top for the average number of missing or filled teeth for 12 year olds, which is now 0.7. In the US it is 1.3.
The UK's decay and replacement rates started falling below those of the US during the mid-1990s. Going back to 1963, the UK rate was as high as 5.6.
Two in three children aged 12 are now found to be free of visible dental decay, compared with fewer than one in 10 in 1973.
Only 6 per cent of UK adults have no natural teeth, the British Dental Association says. In 1978, the figure was as high as 37 per cent in some parts of the country. And people in the UK are among the most likely in Europe to attend dental surgeries. Around 72 per cent regularly get their teeth checked, second only to 79 per cent in The Netherlands.
Carol Guarnizo-Herreño, Research Assistant, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK added: “Contrary to popular belief, our study showed that the oral health of US citizens is not better than the English, with Americans having significantly more missing teeth.
Differential levels of access and provision of treatment services between the health systems may have contributed to our findings.
“For example, it is possible that national differences in wisdom teeth extraction might partially explain our findings on missing teeth.
“Finally, wider societal differences in welfare policies exist, with England having a more comprehensive range of “safety net” policies which may help to reduce oral health inequalities.”
However Dr Richard Marques of Wimpole Street Dental said: "Although this study shows that British people have no worse teeth than Americans overall, I would still say that Americans are more aware of the importance of good dental health and a good smile. Additionally orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry reached prominence at an earlier stage in the US and it is only now that we are beginning to catch up.
"Children in America were given braces routinely which is only now becoming more popular here. The good news is that dental awareness is on the rise in UK so that we should see an improvement in British teeth in the years to come".
The new study was included in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
For years the British have been mocked by Americans for their wonky smiles and discoloured crooked teeth.
In one episode of The Simpsons, a dentist scares a young patient into better oral hygiene by opening ‘The Big Book of British Smiles’ featuring the misaligned molars of the Prince of Wales and Sherlock Holmes.
In Mexico bad teeth are referred to as ‘dientes Ingles.’
But a new study suggests the Brits have been unfairly maligned. According to University College London and Harvard University, Britons have no worse dental health than the Americans, and in fact, we have fewer missing teeth.
The study showed that the average number of missing teeth was significantly higher in the US – with the average person missing 7.31 teeth compared to 6.97 in Britain.
"There is a longstanding belief in the United States that the British have terrible teeth, much worse than US citizens, ," said lead author Dr Richard Watt, Professor in Dental Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, at UCL.
"This view dates back at least 100 years, with toothpaste adverts extolling the virtues of American smiles.
"Contemporary examples of this belief in popular US culture range from The Simpsons to the Hollywood character Austin Powers and his repugnant smile.
"Contrary to popular belief, our study showed that the oral health of US citizens is not better than the English, with Americans having significantly more missing teeth."
"In conclusion we have shown that the oral health of Americans is not better than the English"
The US and UK researchers looked at data from thousands of people from the English English Adult Dental Health Survey and the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
They looked for examples of missing teeth, adults' perceptions of their oral health and the effect of poor teeth on daily life such as pain, difficulty eating, avoiding smiling and social effects. Levels of education and household income were also examined.
The National Health Service provides free orthodontics to under-18s "who need it". But the braces provided are metal and children are often unwilling to have them fitted during their teenage years. Parents who want less obvious ceramic or plastic versions, often clear or even invisible, have to go private.
Earlier this year BBC television doctor Dr Chris van Tulleken said Britain has become "internationally renowned" for having "really lousy" teeth.
While having stains and decay is frowned on in America and other countries, "it doesn't really bother us" in the UK, he said.
However recent statistics show that on pure oral health rather than appearance, the UK does far better than the US.
The last figures for OECD countries put the UK top for the average number of missing or filled teeth for 12 year olds, which is now 0.7. In the US it is 1.3.
The UK's decay and replacement rates started falling below those of the US during the mid-1990s. Going back to 1963, the UK rate was as high as 5.6.
Two in three children aged 12 are now found to be free of visible dental decay, compared with fewer than one in 10 in 1973.
Only 6 per cent of UK adults have no natural teeth, the British Dental Association says. In 1978, the figure was as high as 37 per cent in some parts of the country. And people in the UK are among the most likely in Europe to attend dental surgeries. Around 72 per cent regularly get their teeth checked, second only to 79 per cent in The Netherlands.
Carol Guarnizo-Herreño, Research Assistant, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK added: “Contrary to popular belief, our study showed that the oral health of US citizens is not better than the English, with Americans having significantly more missing teeth.
Differential levels of access and provision of treatment services between the health systems may have contributed to our findings.
“For example, it is possible that national differences in wisdom teeth extraction might partially explain our findings on missing teeth.
“Finally, wider societal differences in welfare policies exist, with England having a more comprehensive range of “safety net” policies which may help to reduce oral health inequalities.”
However Dr Richard Marques of Wimpole Street Dental said: "Although this study shows that British people have no worse teeth than Americans overall, I would still say that Americans are more aware of the importance of good dental health and a good smile. Additionally orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry reached prominence at an earlier stage in the US and it is only now that we are beginning to catch up.
"Children in America were given braces routinely which is only now becoming more popular here. The good news is that dental awareness is on the rise in UK so that we should see an improvement in British teeth in the years to come".
The new study was included in the Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Maybe the Americans spread such lies to deflect from their appalling teeth...?
So, I'm well into my 40s, got all my teeth including my wisdom teeth - and not even a single filling! Same with my girlfriend.
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