Signal survey reveals gap between perception and reality

Of all respondents, a meagre 4.4% said their dental health was either "bad" or "very bad," despite 26% reporting bleeding gums and over 34% saying that they occasionally suffer toothaches.

The survey was conducted by Signal online and sent to over 1,000 young professionals across the region, with the majority (almost 91%) being between the ages of 20 and 40. Poor oral hygiene seemed to account for a large proportion of dental problems, with over one fifth cent of respondents saying they brush their teeth only once a day. A little over 20 per cent of respondents' said they floss their teeth "fairly often" or "often," while almost 23% answered "never."

Young people in the region also seem reluctant to visit the dentist, with over half of those interviewed reporting that they go only in response to tooth trouble; more than double the 23% who have regular six-month check-ups. Meanwhile over 45% hadn't visited the dentist in the past year. Some 19% said they had a tooth removed over the last year, and 42 per cent had more than four fillings.

Of all respondents, 65.5 considered their oral health to be "good" or "very good." Disturbingly, some 7.5% of respondents said they had fewer than 20 teeth, far below the full set of 32.

"It is of course alarming to see from these survey results that people's oral health and hygiene are bad, but what is extremely disconcerting is that people aren't fully aware of how poor their oral health really is. There is an alarming gap between their perceptions and what is reality," said Unilever Chairman for North Africa and the Middle East, Jan Zijderveld. "These results clearly show that more education is needed if we are to address the issue of dental health in this region'.

'Signal has been the first to initiate large scale organized school programmes in the region. Here in the UAE, in 2006, we distributed 40,000 sample size toothpastes along with oral health educational material to local schools in Sharjah and plan to do the same this year through a joint programme with the Sharjah Police. " Zijderveld also added.

In spite of remarkable progress in the provision of dental health services across the Middle East, tooth decay is on the rise, particularly among children. Most worryingly, according to Dr. Ibrahim Bin Arab, Director of the UAE Federal Ministry of Health, most tooth decay incidents go untreated. "We need to promote the necessity of brushing teeth twice a day," Dr. Bin Arab said. "It is essential that people are encouraged towards positive behaviour change for improved oral health."

The FDI World Dental Federation Annual Congress, which is being held in Dubai this month, will mark the launch in the Middle East of a joint FDI-Unilever partnership, "Live. Learn. Laugh." a programme aimed at improving oral health in 38 countries worldwide, and now also in the Middle East. "We believe that the health of a nation is reflected in large part by its dental health," said Habib Benzian, FDI Development and Public Health Director. "We look forward to placing oral health on health and social agendas of decision makers across the Middle East."

The FDI is the worldwide, authoritative and independent voice of dentistry, representing over one million dentists internationally.