Americans do not have better teeth than the English, study finds

It's long been said that Americans have better teeth than the English - but it turns out it's not true after researchers sought to dispel the century-old slur.

In fact, the English actually have better teeth than their US counterparts, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal.

Teams from the UK and the US examined data from thousands of people using official English and American dental surveys.

And they found the average number of missing teeth was significantly higher in the US (7.31) than in England (6.97).

People were also more likely to suffer poor dental health in the US because of socio-economic factors.

Researchers from University College London (UCL) said: "There is a longstanding belief in the United States that the British have terrible teeth, much worse than US citizens.

"This view dates back at least 100 years, with toothpaste adverts extolling the virtues of American smiles.

"Contemporary examples of this belief in popular US culture range from The Simpsons to the Hollywood character Austin Powers and his repugnant smile.

They added: "But in conclusion we have shown that the oral health of Americans is not better than the English, and there are consistently wider educational and income related oral health inequalities in the US compared with England."