Healthy Teeth Linked to Better Quality of Life Sat Nov 09,2002 12:08 PM ET By Pat Hagan LONDON (Reuters Health) - Three out of four people in the UK believe the health of their teeth and gums has a significant impact on their quality of life, according to the results of a new survey. The majority of people questioned--around two-thirds--felt oral health had a major bearing on their appearance, comfort and how they ate, while just under half said they believed it was an important factor in terms of their self-confidence, social life and romantic relationships. The results are highlighted in a poll organized by Dr. Colman McGrath, professor of periodontology and public health at the University of Hong Kong, and published in the current edition of the British Dental Journal. "This is the first time we have considered not only the negative but positive effects of dental health in a national study," McGrath said in an interview with Reuters Health. "We were surprised that three in four people perceived their dental and oral health as affecting their life quality and did so primarily because they felt their dental health enhanced their life," he added. Although dental health has improved dramatically in the UK in the last few decades, gum diseases remain a significant health problem. The latest survey was carried out partly to assess the changes in the way the public felt about the importance of oral hygiene and health. Trained interviewers quizzed 1,838 people throughout the UK on a range of issues, from how many of their own teeth they still had to what effect their teeth, gums or mouth had on a number of aspects of their lives. Sixty-six percent said oral health was important in terms of appearance, 63% in terms of comfort and 62% for eating. Forty-nine percent felt healthy teeth and gums improved confidence, 43% their social lives and 42% romantic relationships, the investigators found. Those who had 20 teeth or less of their own were more likely to have reduced oral health-related quality of life compared to those with 20 or more. Summarizing the findings, McGrath and fellow researcher Professor Raman Bedi of the World Health Organization, write that "the impact of oral health on life quality in Britain was immense," with three quarters of the population perceiving that it impacted on them. The researchers recommend that retaining 20 or more teeth should remain a key policy for the UK government, as this appears to be a big factor in determining the effect of oral health. McGrath pointed out that the survey results confirmed that mouth and teeth have a strong influence on the way people feel about themselves. "It's one of the few parts of our body that we use every day and do a lot of things with--such as eat, talk and smile," he said. SOURCE: British Dental Journal 2002;193:521-524.