Around half of all Australian adults don’t place any importance on gum health according to new data released by the Australian Dental Association (ADA), placing them at risk of serious health conditions.
Survey results released ahead of Dental Health Week (5-11 August), the ADA’s oral health awareness campaign, uncovers some revealing insights into why Australians’ oral health is not where it should be—and the need for people to boost their oral health practices to ward off gum disease, tooth decay and serious whole-of-body health conditions.
Gums are the forgotten foundations of our mouths, with just over half of the 25,000 people polled for the peak dental body’s annual Consumer Survey thinking that looking after their teeth is more important than looking after their gums. Only 28 per cent said gums and teeth were equally important, and 19 per cent said gums are more important. Meanwhile 25 per cent of respondents also reported that ‘how to look after their gums’ is not something they think about.
While cleaning between the teeth is pivotal to oral health as brushing the teeth only cleans about 60 per cent of tooth surfaces (with cleaning in between taking care of the other 40 per cent), the survey found that a shocking 74 per cent rarely or never floss. Only 21 per cent clean between their teeth daily which is what’s recommended by dentists.
“This means those 74 per cent of Aussie adults may be putting their mouths on a fast track to bleeding gums which often indicates gum disease and are a red flag,” ADA oral health promoter Dr Mikaela Chinotti said.
“Yet that’s what a sizeable proportion of our population is risking every day.
“Together with risk factors including smoking, increased age and health conditions like diabetes, more and more Aussies have developed severe gum disease, known as periodontitis, over the years.
“These findings go some way to explaining why one in four Australians have inflammation of the gums and one in three have moderate to severe periodontitis.
“Together with jawbone and ligaments, the gums form the foundations that keep teeth in place. With severe gum disease, these elements are damaged, affecting how the teeth stay in place. Unfortunately, gums are the forgotten foundations of the mouth and plenty of people are not giving them a second thought.”
