Why English People have bad teeth?
English teeth are no better or worse than any other teeth! What is true, however, is that many British people (Scots, Welsh, some Irish, & English!) have a deeply ingrained hostility to teeth straightening, whitening, & "cosmetic" dentistry in general. Exactly why this might be is hard to answer, but it certainly has something to do with the aversion to being seen as "flash" - showy/ self-promoting.
Second, since about the C18th the British have been massive consumers of sugar & tobacco. This, combined with poor diets (lots of carbs, limited calcium & vitamins for many) & the habit of drinking lots of sugared tea, resulted in poor dental health/ hygiene, especially among the poorer sections of society. The American perception of "bad British teeth" largely originated during WW2 when they mixed with large numbers of relatively poor, malnourished Britons who'd never had any proper dental care in their lives.
Third, although the National Health Service provided (& still does) free dental care for minors, this was generally limited to maintenance of functionality - orthodontics was only generally available if absolutely necessary for medical reasons. "Cosmetic" teeth straightening was (& still is) a private service, until quite recently offered only by a few dentists (mainly in larger towns & cities), & very expensive, so few people regarded it as worthwhile, or indeed affordable!
Elderly persons with active root caries, a type of tooth decay, have an increased risk of having irregular heart beats. This study is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
A total of 125 generally healthy individuals over the age of 80, living in urban, community-based populations were examined. Researchers discovered that persons with three or more active root caries had more than twice the odds of cardiac arrhythmias of those without. Researchers indicate that root caries may be a marker of general physical decline in the elderly and specifically underscore the mouth as an integral part of the body.
"The findings make a strong case for the active assessment of and attention to oral problems for the older community-dwelling population," states Poul Holm-Pedersen, lead author of the study. Because arrhythmias can signify other possibly undiagnosed diseases in older people, researchers stress the importance of taking dental diseases seriously.
