Think Again: Austin Powers

Americans have many stereotypes about British people, but one misconception that has become particularly widespread in recent years is that Brits have bad teeth. Not so, as this map of “Decayed, missing or filled teeth at age 12 (DMFT-12 index)” in European Union countries shows. It’s Eastern Europeans who need to brush and visit the ...

By , a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.
598546_071023_euteetch_05.jpg
598546_071023_euteetch_05.jpg

Americans have many stereotypes about British people, but one misconception that has become particularly widespread in recent years is that Brits have bad teeth. Not so, as this map of "Decayed, missing or filled teeth at age 12 (DMFT-12 index)" in European Union countries shows. It's Eastern Europeans who need to brush and visit the dentist more often.

Americans have many stereotypes about British people, but one misconception that has become particularly widespread in recent years is that Brits have bad teeth. Not so, as this map of “Decayed, missing or filled teeth at age 12 (DMFT-12 index)” in European Union countries shows. It’s Eastern Europeans who need to brush and visit the dentist more often.

You can check out the British public health study from which this map is taken here. And you may be surprised to learn that the United Kingdom scores better than the United States on the DMFT Index: Brits best American 12-year-olds by a score of 1.1 to 1.4 (lower is better), according to the World Health Organization.

Blake Hounshell is a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.

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