What oral hygiene behaviour do people report?
A growing emphasis toward aesthetic considerations both in the media and dental practice is being demonstrated, therefore questions related to satisfaction with appearance can be considered as one barometer of oral health. Reported oral hygiene practices also reflect the level to which the UK population is receiving oral hygiene advice. Of those dentate adults questioned, 74% reported cleaning their teeth at least once a day. This comprised 83% of women and 64% of men. Figure 2 shows how this reported behaviour has changed since 1978. Amongst adults who claim to only attend the dentist when they have trouble, the proportion indicating that they brush at least twice a day has increased from 49% in 1978 to 61% in 1998. This is a rise of 12% compared with only a 2% rise amongst reported regular attenders.
