US teeth worse than British say UK researchers
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- Published: Friday, 18 December 2015 08:43
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The oral health of US citizens is not better than the English, and there are consistently wider educational and income oral health inequalities in the US compared with England. This is according to research carried out by a team from Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, and published in the Christmas edition of BMJ.
The researchers conclude that contrary to popular belief, the oral health of US citizens is not better than the English. Indeed, the study showed a mixed picture, with Americans having significantly more missing teeth, the English reporting more oral impacts, and no differences in self rated oral health between the two countries. Adults in the lowest socioeconomic position tended to have better oral health in England, while those at the top educational or income levels were generally better in the US.
The mean number of missing teeth was significantly higher in the US (7.31 (standard error 0.15)) than in England (6.97 (0.09)), while oral impacts were higher in England. There was evidence of significant social gradients in oral health in both countries, although differences in oral health by socioeconomic position varied according to the oral health measure used.
Consistently higher RII and SII values were found in the US than in England, particularly for self rated oral health. RII estimates for self rated oral health by education were 3.67 (95% confidence interval 3.23 to 4.17) in the US and 1.83 (1.59 to 2.11) in England. In turn, SII values were 42.55 (38.14 to 46.96) in the US and 18.43 (14.01 to 22.85) in England.
Dental therapists have welcomed the study that smashes ‘rotten teeth’ stereotype. President of the British Association of Dental Therapists, Fiona Sandom, said: “Whilst welcoming this new study that destroys the reputation we have for poor dental health and confirms that it has come on in leaps and bounds recently, there does remain major inequalities across the country.”
Responding in US News, Dr Joseph Banker, a private practice cosmetic dentist in Westfield, New Jersey, pointed to one aspect of dental care that the British study didn't assess: aesthetics. ‘American dental patients’, he said, ‘are increasingly interested in addressing appearance: getting their teeth straightened, tackling overcrowding, and whitening up a yellowing smile.’
To read the article go to: http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h6543
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