Drinks blamed for bad teeth by Brits
Research from Mintel has revealed that 46% of all adults believe that the most popular non-alcoholic drinks, including tea, coffee, cola and fruit juice, have a negative impact on the appearance of their teeth. Additionally, 24% believe that foods such as potatoes, blueberries, cherries and sweets impact their smile.
Dental issues that Brits are most likely to have suffered from in the last 12 months are plaque build-up (47%), staining or yellowing (45%), bleeding gums (35%), tooth pain (such as from a broken or abscessed tooth) (31%), and cavities (31%). Meanwhile, 26% of all Brits have suffered from bad breath over the past year.
On top of this, 46% of Brits believe ageing causes a decline in the appearance of their teeth. Tobacco is also blamed for this by 23% of Brits, whilst 21% believe that teeth grinding from stress impacts the appearance of their teeth. However, only 24% of Brits attribute a decline in the appearance of their teeth to poor dental hygiene.
Mintel’s research also reveals that although the vast majority (80%) of British parents take their children to routine dentist appointments, this leaves one in five (20%) who only take their children to the dentist when needed, or are unsure about the frequency of visits.
Similarly, while 81% of parents with children aged 0-12 consider good oral care habits to be just as important for babies as they are for older children or adults, 19% of parents don’t think that baby teeth need as much attention or are unsure as to whether or not this is the case.
Parents are more evenly split when it comes to their thoughts on what dental hygiene products their children should be using. 45% of parents with children aged 0-12 believe their children only need to brush their teeth as part of their routine, while 49% believe children should use multiple products in their oral care routine, such as dental floss or mouthwash.
