Two million take time off for toothache
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- Published: Friday, 06 July 2012 09:01
- Written by News Editor
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According to research publiched by the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) over 2 million people in the UK say they have taken time of work due to poor oral health. According to BDHF chief executive Dr Nigel Carter OBE, the findings do not come as a great surprise. "Government statistics show that a quarter of all adults have not visited a dentist in the past two years and a similar number only brush their teeth once a day,” he says. |
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The BDHF says that UK's economy is being damaged unnecessarily with an estimated two million workers taking sick time off work due to poor oral health over the past five years. Most problems with teeth and gums are preventable with a good oral health routine, but around seven per cent of the UK's 29 million workforce have called in sick with teeth problems at least once in the past five years.
Nigel Carter continued: “Poor oral health habits like these contribute to around three in every ten adults suffering regular dental pain and tooth decay. It is inevitable that significant numbers of people are taking sick days off work and damaging the productivity of the UK economy.
“The importance of oral health can often be overshadowed in the workplace by the more common causes of short-term absences such as colds,flu, stomach upsets, headaches, back pain and stress. However, our findings show that it affects a significant number of workers over time and is an important factor in a healthy workforce.”
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