Half of all Brits aged 16-34 have experienced staining or yellowing teeth and one quarter (26%) of all Brits have suffered from bad breath over the past year.
That’s according to a new Mintel survey that also reveals that almost half of us (46%) believe tea, coffee, cola and fruit juice, have a negative impact on the appearance of our teeth.
Additionally, one quarter (24%) believe that foods such as potatoes, blueberries, cherries and sweets impact their smile, rising to more than one third (35%) of 16-24s.
Away from the kitchen, 46% of Brits believe ageing causes a decline in the appearance of their teeth, with 77% of women aged 65 and over believing this to be true.
Tobacco is labelled as a further culprit by 23% of Brits, while one in five (21%) consumers believe that teeth grinding from stress is having an impact on the appearance of their teeth, rising to as many as 27% of consumers aged 16-24
By contrast, just one quarter (24%) of Brits attribute a decline in the appearance of their teeth to poor dental hygiene.
Some 46% of Brits believe ageing causes a decline in the appearance of their teeth.
Jack Duckett, at Mintel, said: ‘Perhaps encouragingly, just a quarter of Brits attribute a decline in the appearance of their teeth to poor dental hygiene. However, the high proportion of consumers that cite dietary factors as having a negative impact on their teeth is a testament to ongoing diet issues in the UK, particularly with regard to high sugar consumption.’
Other dental issues we are most likely to have suffered with in the last 12 months are:
- Plaque build-up (47%)
- Staining or yellowing (45%)
- Bleeding gums (35%)
- Tooth pain, for example from a broken or abscessed tooth (31%)
- Cavities (31%).
In the 16-34 age group, 35% have suffered from tooth pain, 38% have had bad breath and 18% have experienced gingivitis.
Jack said: ‘With young adults typically among the biggest consumers of processed sugars, and more likely to agree that poor dental hygiene has negatively impacted the appearance of their teeth, it follows that the young are also more likely to indicate that they experience oral hygiene concerns, such as staining, bad breath, cavities and tooth pain.’
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