Online survey reveals state of our cities’ teeth

People in Brighton and Hove in east Sussex have the best teeth in the country, according to a new survey.

They were closely followed by people living in Cambridge, Newcastle and Southampton.

The online poll of 2,000 people revealed that people in Brighton have just an average of just two fillings and only two missing teeth.

In Portsmouth, 29% of people said they never went to a dentist, and 14% in York.

And Sheffield topped the tooth decay table of Britain, with people living in the south Yorkshire city having the most fillings and missing teeth, and spending the least time cleaning their teeth.

They spent just one minute 25 seconds brushing and were most likely to skip their nightly clean.

Plymouth, Aberdeen and Manchester are also frontrunners in dental decay, according to Genix Healthcare.

Katrina Hardy, operations director of Genix Healthcare that carried out the survey, said: ‘It’s amazing to see how many people fail to brush their teeth regularly.

‘This research really highlights which areas of the country really need to improve on their dental hygiene.

‘It’s so important to brush your teeth at least twice a day – morning and evening as well as visiting the dentist for check-ups regularly.

‘By taking a few minutes each day to brush properly you can ensure you have a healthy mouth and smile.’

She added: ‘A shortage of NHS places may help to explain the numbers of people who never visit a dentist (8%) or only when a problem occurs (17%).’

NHS figures for tooth decay in children under 11 suggest those in Blackburn already have on average at least three decayed, missing or filled teeth, with Knowsley on Merseyside, Nottingham, Manchester and Middlesbrough other problem areas.

Too busy to see a dentist
Brits are so busy with their jobs that looking after their appearance and health is getting left at the bottom of their to-do list, it has been revealed.

According to research by American Express Insurance Services, 31% of people do not have enough time in their day to get their hair cut and 26% claim they are too busy to arrange an appointment with their dentist.

These necessities are more likely to be neglected by women, it appears, as 37% are sacrificing personal grooming after a day at work, compared to just 25% of men.

Commenting on the study, head of the firm Chris Rolland stated: ‘We recognise that for many hard-working Britons there are simply not enough hours in the day.

‘However, our research shows many Brits are letting their health, relationships and finances suffer as a result.’

A recent study by Dentale found that a third of Brits have not been to visit a dentist in two years.

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