By Dr. Azim Malik Specialist Periodontist and Implant Surgeon

PERIODONTAL DISEASE

Periodontal disease in the UK affects anywhere between 25%-40% of adults.

Severe disease affects anywhere between 15%-20% of adults.

I don’t think there’s a particular problem in the UK.

I think other similar countries have similar prevalence.

It all depends on whether they’re in the developing or non-developing world.

Is periodontal disease common in the UK?

I think there’s a similar trend in the developing world – but I certainly think it’s diagnosed much more here than in the developing world.

Let’s imagine you have two countries – let’s say one in Asia and one in Europe.

There is more of a culture here of seeing your dentist every six months or every 12 months.

And this culture doesn’t actually exist in many respects in some Asian countries – especially in poorer nations like China, for instance.

People tend to go to the dentist as and when needed – when they’re in pain.

Whereas here, many people go to the dentist once every six months or once a year.

Gum disease UK

So we get more people being diagnosed with periodontal disease.

So we will probably report the disease much more than in some other countries – simply because they’re not diagnosing the disease.

Periodontal treatment near me

Similarly, we may think mental health is a big issue here but statistically it may not appear so prevalent in India.

But actually that’s because they’re not diagnosing it.