Aussies' filthy oral hygiene habit – are you guilty of this?
New data has revealed that Australians are failing to listen to the advice of dentists and are struggling to maintain dental hygiene.
According to Australia’s Oral Health Tracker released earlier this week, more than 90 per cent of adults have experienced decay in their permanent teeth.
Surprisingly, only half of adults are brushing their teeth twice a day as recommended.
The Oral Health Tracker found that factors such as risky alcohol consumption and smoking are contributing to the poor oral health among adults.
The data also discovered alarming levels of tooth decay among children, with three out of four consuming too much sugar.
“The evidence shows that one-third of Australia’s five- to six-year-olds have had decay in their baby teeth. This is an unacceptably high rate and puts these children at risk of poor oral health in their development and adult years,” Dr Hugo Sachs, president of the Australian Dental Association, told news.com.au.
Australia’s Oral Health Tracker was created by dental academics/researchers, clinicians, policy and public health experts, and was released by the ADA.
The Tracker sets targets for improving the oral health of children and adults by 2025, to achieve the World Health Organisation’s targets for global prevention and reduction in chronic diseases.
Earlier this month, the Royal Children’s Hospital poll found that by early primary school one in four children need a tooth filling. One in 10 needed a tooth pulled out because of decay and one in 20 required a hospital visit to treat a decayed tooth.
Dr Sachs explained that poor oral health links to a range of diseases in adulthood, so it is important to ensure the young have good dental hygiene.
Sydney dentist Dr Steven Lin has also said that Australians need to focus on nutrition to look after their teeth.
Dr Lin told news.com.au that “most adults, and almost no kids, brush and floss properly”.
“While it’s a fine way to polish teeth, brushing is like taking a car with a broken engine to the car wash,” he said.
“It cleans but it doesn’t address the problem.”
Dr Lin highlighted that we need to maintain a diet that contains fats, vitamins D, A and K2 to maintain healthy mouths.
“Harmful foods that we eat are what fuels disease in the mouth. Vegetable oils and white flour are refined carbs, so anything with white flour has a very similar metabolic effect to sugar by creating cavities.
“Over time, we have stripped out foods that promote healthy teeth — like butter, meats, yolks and full-fat dairy. If you don’t include these types of fats in your diet, you lose the ability to absorb those vitamins.”
How do you take care of your teeth? Let us know in the comments below.