Although children from affluent backgrounds can afford regular visits to their dentist, they are more likely to suffer from dental caries.
- Saliva protects teeth from cavities. This secretion of the salivary glands has an antibacterial and antifungal role.
- A regular check-up at least once a year with your dentist is essential to prevent the occurrence of cavities.
“Without teeth.” This is the term that former President François Hollande used to designate the poor during a private conversation. This expression refers to a harsh reality: many French people have to give up dental care for lack of money, and poor people are therefore more likely to have dental problems.
But according to a recent study published in the journal Journal of Dentistrybenefiting from better access to care does not guarantee having healthy teeth, because children from well-to-do classes would ultimately have a greater risk of developing cavities.
Tooth wear
To reach this conclusion, Australian and Singaporean researchers analyzed 65 studies carried out in 30 countries. A total of 63,893 people aged 6 to 79 took part in this work. The aim was to establish a link between socio-economic status and tooth wear. After their analysis, the scientists noted that children in private schools, whose parents had a higher than average level of education and income, showed significant dental wear.
Soft drinks and fruit juices
Why ? “In many countries, soft drinks, energy drinks and fruit juices are accessible to well-to-do people. (…) These eating habits can predispose children of all socio-economic statuses to the risk of erosion, but those with a ‘privileged’ status may be more frequently exposed than their counterparts” because they have easier access to these products, explained Khaled Ahmed, author of the study and researcher in dentistry and oral health at Griffith University in Australia.
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