YOUNG FINNISH MEN NEGLECTING DENTAL HEALTH
Research carried out amongst Finnish conscripts reveals that almost half have at least one cavity in need of dental treatment. Smoking and the use of snuff also appear to be on the rise comparative to earlier studies.
Young men are not taking care of their teeth, according to a licentiate study presented in Oulu on Wednesday. Furthermore, the research shows that previous positive progress on oral health has stalled.
Clinical research was carried out on around 13,500 conscripts who entered military service in 2011. Nearly half of the young servicemen had at least one dental cavity that required professional dental treatment.
Tooth decay is influenced by general health habits, socio-economic factors and the conscript’s place of residence.
ALMOST HALF SMOKE DAILY
According to the research, young men are also using snuff and tobacco more than they used to. Amongst conscripts 40 percent smoked daily and nearly 20 percent used snuff occasionally or on a daily basis.
The oral health of smokers was clearly worse than that of non-smokers. However, snuff users appeared no worse off than those who did not use any tobacco products.
The research was conducted as part of Tarja Tanner’s Licentiate in Dentistry, which was examined at the University of Oulu on Wednesday.
