Just How Bad Are Students Teeth?

We all know students have a reputation for drinking too much, eating a poor diet and generally neglecting all aspects of their health, but just how bad is their oral hygiene? Is it as bad as we think?

Maintaining good oral health is fundamentally about habit; repeatedly making sensible lifestyle choices such as not smoking, avoiding excess sugars in diet, and frequently taking the time to clean your teeth properly. So, as one might imagine, students, infamous for passing out after heavy nights of drinking having not brushed their teeth, and waking up to ready meals and potentially smoking a lot (statistically a person is more likely to smoke during, or start smoking during their time at university, especially for those aged 18 -25, which is the age group of the majority of students), just how bad are students teeth?

The answer, after some debate, is generally pretty bad. After a few casual conservations with my peers from university, we discovered for the majority, it’s the truth; poor diet and poor oral hygiene are common bad habits. Many admitted that their teeth only get brushed as long as they remember to do it in the rush before a nine am lecture, or arrive home sober enough to actually coordinate their hands. And many also admitted to eating cheap sugary foods and consuming what is probably considered to be an excess of alcohol. If I consider all the students I have met so far since beginning university in September last year, I’d estimate 80% smoke, and I was no exception (although I am happy to say I have abstained from smoking for a whole month, and can now safely say I am an ex-smoker).

 

 

So, we arrive at the next question on the road to oral health for students: What can be done? Well, as a student, you are an adult, and personally an adult should be totally responsible for their own oral health. Personally I consider my oral health to be very good, and having to wear a retainer whilst sleeping to maintain the corrective orthodontic work I received a few years ago constantly reminds me to be conscious of looking after my teeth. And what can be done for other students? Raising awareness. Just as students are given plenty of education about and access to information about sexual health and mental health, in order to prevent serious health problems later on in life, maybe some consideration and funding should be given to the issue of maintaining good oral hygiene whilst going to university.

 

Paige