Health experts think dentists are ‘perfectly placed’ to give you lifestyle advice
Poor oral health is often linked to other health issues including obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking
DENTISTS could help combat the obesity crisis by giving patients lifestyle advice while fixing their teeth, a report suggests.
They are “perfectly placed” to deliver public health messages, say health think tanks The Nuffield Trust and The Health Foundation.
They claim the move could improve Britain’s dental health and cut obesity and diabetes.
The report also identifies big differences in dental health between the North and South of England and rich and poor.
People from the most deprived areas are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital for dental work as those who are better off. Almost one in five parents with children eligible for free school meals has difficulty finding an NHS dentist compared with one in ten parents whose children are not.
And eight in ten five-year-olds in the richest regions have healthy teeth, compared with seven in ten in the poorest.
The Nuffield Trust’s Prof John Appleby said: “It is shocking that your income or where you live can determine dental health.
“We know that poor oral health is linked to other health problems, like obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking. So it makes sense to involve dentists to address these problems.”
