Education is key

Research shows that only 40 per cent of adults brush their teeth for the recommended two minutes a day, twice a day.Therefore it is no surprise that the overall oral health standards in the UK are slipping. Fifty per cent of people in the West Midlands have been found to only brush their teeth once a day or less; London is not far off with 43 per cent, and though the South East has been deemed the best in oral health, a shockingly low 23 per cent are believed to brush as recommended. Approximately two per cent of the UK population would also only see a dentist if they had bleeding gums.

These statistics are worrying to our country’s overall health. As a dental professional, you will understand and recognise that a bad diet and constant neglect to oral health regimes could lead to conditions such as heart disease, strokes and diabetes. Although it is your patient’s responsibility to look after their own dental health, it is very much your duty as a professional to remind your patients of the reality of bad oral health and suggest ways in which they could reduce the risk of later developing more severe conditions.