(AlterNet) -- Even steadfast Anglophiles have long had to admit that the British generally have pretty awful teeth. Here in the new world, thanks to the miracles of fluoridated water and presumably better dentistry, Americans have long enjoyed healthier and more attractive pearly whites.
Those American bragging rights have officially been rescinded. The British Medical Journal recently analyzed surveys conducted in the U.S. and England and concluded that when it comes to missing teeth, American adults are worse off than their British peers—Americans are missing 7.31 teeth, the British only 6.97.
So, in the oral health contest, the English have pulled ahead. The fact that England has national healthcare and that all strata of society can therefore afford to go to the dentist has, of course, everything to do with this finding. America's increasing inequality plays a significant roll in dental and all other health.
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