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Why did Europeans evelove to have bad teeth ?

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  • 09-10-2007 4:04pm
    #1
    DublinDes
    Closed Accounts Posts: 259 ✭✭


    Why did Europeans evelove to have bad teeth ? Maybe it's a strange question, but I've often wondered why ? Anyone any ideas, I've heard that Polynesian people also have poor teeth, is it true ?


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    #2
    2Scoops
    Registered Users Posts: 1,845 ✭✭✭2Scoops


    Who says Europeans have bad teeth to begin with? I think you'll find most Europeans who actually brush and floss have good dental health. Perhaps you're reading too deeply into comic portrayals of "British smiles', so beloved of American hack comedians? The key differences there are personal dental hygiene and access to (and willingness to use) orthodontic services.


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    #3
    Bottle_of_Smoke
    Registered Users Posts: 9,770 ✭✭✭Bottle_of_Smoke


    Can't say I've ever heard of this before - Do asians & africans have razor sharp giant canines or something?


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    #4
    Big_G
    Moderators Posts: 1,589 ✭✭✭Big_G


    IIRC, genetically heterogenous peoples have a greater tendency towards malocclusion (people of mixed race tend to have crooked teeth), this would include western Europeans. Malocclusion is less common in genetically homogenous groups such as aboriginal and tribal people.

    Caries (decay) is possibly more prevalent in Europeans due to our increased usage of refined carbohydrate, which is seen more commonly in developed countries than in undeveloped and developing countries (sugar is expensive and not particularly nutritionally valuable).


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    #5
    Oriel
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,154 ✭✭✭Oriel


    Diet.


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    #6
    cazzy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,027 ✭✭✭cazzy


    american food is much sweeter than ours, many americans are of european decent but they have better teeth than many nationalities - maybe its something in the water (like flouride) better dental hygiene, free milk in high school, i dont know. They love their coke and pepsi too. Maybe medications people are on when their second teeth are coming up also effect the strenght of their teeth. Any dentists out there ?


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    #7
    Sir Digby Chicken Caesar
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,556 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    americans are big into their bleaching, and dental surgery too...

    also you gert plenty of yanks with teeth just as terrible as ours, alot of them wouldn't have the money the middle/upper class would have to throw away on cosmetic dentistry.


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    #8
    lomb
    Registered Users Posts: 6,031 ✭✭✭lomb


    cazzy wrote: »
    american food is much sweeter than ours, many americans are of european decent but they have better teeth than many nationalities - maybe its something in the water (like flouride) better dental hygiene, free milk in high school, i dont know. They love their coke and pepsi too. Maybe medications people are on when their second teeth are coming up also effect the strenght of their teeth. Any dentists out there ?

    the american result is achieved through porcelein. sometimes more porcelein than tooth in many mouths:) however the middle and upper classes tend to be careful brushing and flossing their teeth and so the disease would be lower than in europe. also orthodontics is far more prevelant there in the past and present than in ireland.


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