Britons actually have better teeth than Americans, says study

After years of mocking rubbish British teeth, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has discovered that UK teeth are just fine.

In fact, Britons have got fewer missing teeth than Americans, and have far better access to dental healthcare.

The average American is missing 7.31 teeth compared to the average British person who is missing 6.97 teeth.

Dr Richard Watt the lead author and professor in the Dental Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, at UCL said:

There is a longstanding belief in the United States that the British have terrible teeth, much worse than US citizens. Contrary to popular belief, our study showed that the oral health of US citizens is not better than the English, with Americans having significantly more missing teeth.

The gap in oral hygiene is particularly pronounced in children. The average number of missing or filled teeth for 12-year-olds is 0.7, but in the US it is 1.3.

It's not all good news though, Dr Richard Marques of Wimpole Street Dental told the Telegraph:

Although this study shows that British people have no worse teeth than Americans overall, I would still say that Americans are more aware of the importance of good dental health and a good smile. Additionally orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry reached prominence at an earlier stage in the US and it is only now that we are beginning to catch up.

Smile!