British teeth
At the risk of alienating half of my readers (note: I am convinced that discussing British teeth is #18 on the list of ways to annoy the British), I feel obliged to share the latest news item.
According to a survey by the British Dental Health Foundation …
* Seven million Britons do not clean their teeth regularly
* One in seven admitted to leaving it two whole days before they picked up a toothbrush
* 21 per cent also said they forget to floss
Sacre bleu, right? But the study continues and expands into the general realm of common decency and hygiene:
* 25% forget to cover their mouth when coughing and fail to wash their hands after going to the toilet
* 7.5 million Britons also forget to shower daily
*Sighing and shaking my head* (and recognizing that a survey stateside would likely provide similar results)… What do you make of all of this?
Posted on 10, June 2013, in News and tagged British, brushing teeth, cleaning teeth, dentist, flossing, hygiene, teeth. Bookmark the permalink. 12 Comments.
BRITRISH.COM 
Speaking as a Brit, I agree one hundred percent. There are some mucky buggers out there. I had the misfortune to have an employee some years ago who never cleaned his teeth or visited a dentist. He had breath that could drop an elephant at forty paces. I got past revulsion and nausea, and started to feel light-headed. Lovely!
I do wonder who they find to answer survey questions sometimes. This Brit is well-flossed, teeth brushed, and showered! It would have been interesting to add a final question ‘Are you currently in a relationship?’!!
Gah! I do have to wonder if the statistic is somewhat smaller than the reality since many of those interviewed must be lying a bit to save face. Or maybe Brits are just more honest when answering a survey?!
That’s a scary thought. Let’s go with the ‘more honest’ theory! Either way, it makes me shudder!
I’ve brushed my teeth twice this morning and it’s only 9:45 a.m. The survey is on my mind!!
The flipside I guess is that Americans are teeth obsessed! Too much whitening going on over there. I’m in favour of clean and natural-looking!
Hi Nancy, that’s true! It’s hard to buy a toothpaste these days that doesn’t have some whitening agent in it!
Having worked with too many Americans that chew tobacco I will not need to talk further on this subject.
Well, you could clarify that statement by replacing “Americans” with “Kentuckians.” I know of no tobacco chewers. I am a tobacco free zone.
I know multiple tobacco chewers — blech!!
As for brushing, I can’t understand how anyone could go a full day without brushing their teeth. I’ve forgotten a toothbrush a couple times when traveling, and I still have to use toothpaste and my fingernail. Even then, I am sooooo happy to get home to a toothbrush.
I understand that in Victorian times it was not unusual for brides to have all their teeth removed and a set of false teeth made as a wedding gift! The idea being that it would save money in the future! I can only speculate where the teeth came from that were used fot the dentures.
I’ve heard that! What a tragic tradition!