DT News - UK - Thorough dental care helps retain youthful looks

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 17 February 2015

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SHARNBROOK, UK/LEIDEN, Netherlands: A new study on lifestyle and appearance has linked personal effort in oral hygiene to perception of facial age. The findings suggest that people with good dental routines and overall oral health can appear up to ten years younger.

A team of scientists at Unilever and Leiden University in the Netherlands evaluated various lifestyle factors, such as smoking, sun-bathing and oral care, in relation to perceived facial age. The results showed that, along with other factors, thorough oral care, including flossing and regular brushing routines, can have long-term effects on the preservation of a youthful look.

In order to determine perceived facial age, the researchers photographed about 800 people with their mouths closed. The portraits were then shown to 60 assessors, who estimated the age of each individual within a range of 5 years. The average perceived age of each person was then compared with the lifestyle factors collected via questionnaires. The study group included smokers and non-smokers from the Netherlands and England aged 45 to 75.

The researchers found that Dutch women with few remaining teeth were associated with a total perceived facial age of 10.9 years higher than their actual age. In comparison, Dutch men with dentures who did not floss were significantly associated with a total perceived facial age of 9.3 years higher. Similar findings were made in the British group, as English women who cleaned their teeth only once a day and wore dentures had a total perceived facial age of 9.1 years higher than women with natural teeth and a comprehensive oral routine.

“The number of teeth and the condition of the surrounding gums are known to directly influence the appearance of overlying tissues. For example, people look younger with their mouths closed after receiving new dentures, and the number of teeth or the use of dentures has been linked to lip size and the appearance of the labio-mental fold,” stated Dr David Gunn, a senior scientist at Unilever.

The authors stressed that oral care aspects could possibly have been proxies of other lifestyle factors, such as diet. However, dental aspects were significantly associated with perceived facial age in the groups studied.

The study, titled “Lifestyle and youthful looks”, was published online on 27 January in the British Journal of Dermatology ahead of print.

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