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Is it time to schedule a dental check-up?

How often do you visit the dentist?

Regular dental check-ups are a critical part of maintaining good oral health, yet all too many Australians neglect their visits to the dentist – and men seem to do so more than women, according to a recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Titled Oral Health and Dental Care in Australia, the report found that about half (49.4 per cent) of all dentate adults (those with at least one natural tooth) aged 18 years and above had “favourable” dental visiting patterns.

The report defined ‘favourable’ patterns as ones where the individual visited a dentist at least once a year, and had a usual dental provider.

However, only 45.3 per cent of men were found to have favourable visiting patterns compared to 53.4 per cent of women.

In fact, men were found to score lower than women in a variety of dental health categories. They were one and a half times more likely to have moderate or severe periodontal disease and a higher proportion of males (28.2 per cent) had untreated decay compared to females (22.7 per cent).

Both men and women benefit from regular dental checkups, but it seems men could do with a bit more of a push to make this a reality!

Visiting our practice frequently can help detect any problems early on and get you the treatment you need faster. The field has also seen many technological advances that have produced more pain-free and efficient procedures, so it’s easier than ever to improve your oral health.