More than a third of Scottish women and a quarter of men aged over 55 have lost all of their teeth, government figures have revealed.

The statistic was branded a “depressing indictment” of the nation’s dental health and poor dietary records.

The figures released in response to a Holyrood question showed 3% of adults aged between 35 and 54 have no teeth.

The then-Scottish Executive set a target for 90% of adults to possess some natural teeth by 2010.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Ross Finnie called on the Scottish government to “sort this out”.

Mr Finnie said: “This is a depressing indictment of Scotland’s dental health.

“Unless the Scottish government takes drastic action, they won’t meet the target set by the previous government.

“Improving Scotland’s diet is essential. Our sweet tooth is not only taking its toll on our waistlines, it’s hitting our teeth too.”

Mr Finnie said people in some parts of the country had difficulty accessing NHS dentists, and called for equal access for all.

*Original article online at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8558893.stm

*Note from FAN:
For a further understanding of the Scottish Childsmile program, which was created because of the Scottish Executive’s decision not to fluoridate, go to http://fluoridealert.org/content/childsmile/

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