Most over-55s ‘wish they’d looked after their teeth better’

Two-thirds of over-55s living in the UK wish they'd looked after their teeth to a higher standard while they were younger, the results of a new survey released to mark World Oral Health Day last Friday (March 20th) reveal.

The British Dental Health Foundation's (BDHF's) poll found that men are more likely to rue not taking greater care over their oral hygiene than women, while those based in the north-east, Scotland and Northern Ireland also had many dental-related regrets.

What's more, it is not just older people who are concerned about the state of their teeth, as 67 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds admitted to being more worried about their dental hygiene than they were five years ago.

Dr Nigel Carter OBE, chief executive of the BDHF, commented: "There is a very strong message from older people that not looking after oral health when young can lead to a lifetime of regrets."