Smashing stereotypes

In fact, the research – the first analytical study ever to compare levels of oral health and oral health inequalities between England and the US – suggests there are consistently wider educational and income inequalities in oral health in the US compared with England.

Additionally, the mean number of missing teeth was significantly higher in the States.

The English population has long had an international reputation for having poor oral health and rotten smiles, much mocked within US culture.

Examples include Hollywood character, Austin Powers, and his discoloured, crooked smile and an episode of The Simpsons, in which a dentist scares a young patient into better oral hygiene by exposing him to a horrific publication called The Big Book of British Smiles.

But, the research team – based both in the UK and the US – assessed oral health measures and socioeconomic indicators, using data from the English Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS), and the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).