It seems that the Inuit do not brush their teeth at all, and oral hygiene is delegated to a handful of water used to rinse after meals.
A religious group in India cleans their teeth using fingers and without using a brush. Hindu Brahmins and priests clean their teeth using cherry wood for an hour, facing the rising sun.
India. This subcontinent with over a billion people was bound to make the list. India's National Oral Health Program reports that 95 percent of all adults have gum disease, and 50 percent of citizens don't use a toothbrush.
Most people use toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss to clean their teeth, but their use is by no means universal. Many indigenous groups, as well as people in developing countries, use traditional techniques to clean their teeth.
According to a study by Delta Dental, 31% of Americans fail to brush their teeth at least twice a day, with two percent admitting to not brushing at all. Even those of us that do brush have a tendency to go far too long between brushing.
Technically, the answer is “no.” Vikings didn't have the implements we use today to actually “brush” their teeth with toothpaste and toothbrushes. However, they did clean their teeth regularly. From what we know about Viking history, these individuals were some of the cleanest groups across Europe.
Lethargy or Laziness
Laziness can also be the cause of no brushing attitude. People who are unconcerned or who simply are too lazy will not put in any effort into brushing their teeth daily, let alone twice a day each and every day.
Most Europeans adopt a basic oral care routine consisting of toothpaste and brush and there is still some way to go before the majority also uses mouthwash and interdental products.
Modern-day tooth brushing as a regular habit became prevalent in Europe from the end of the 17th century. The first mass-produced toothbrush was developed in England in 1780 by William Addis.
Only 60% of Europeans both see their dentist at least once a year AND brush their teeth twice (or more) daily.
Orthodox Muslims practice miswak tooth cleaning five times daily as an important part of ablutions before worship. Others use miswak fewer than five times a day or use a conventional toothbrush instead.
How did medieval people brush their teeth? They would rub their teeth and gums with a rough linen. Recipes have been discovered for pastes and powders they might have applied to the cloth to clean and whiten teeth, as well as to freshen breath. Some pastes were made from ground sage mixed with salt crystals.
Islam sets high standards of hygiene and cleanliness. To use a stick to clean one's teeth and then put it in one's pocket is totally unclean and unhygienic. In fact, the Maliki school of thought considers using a tooth stick in the mosque to be reprehensible because it is unclean.
Italians: Are the most disciplined - up to 33% say they never forget to brush their teeth.
Too busy to brush
Adults don't have time to brush their teeth twice a day, a recent survey from the Oral Health Foundation shows. One in five (22%) regularly miss brushing their teeth in the morning because they are running late. And one in four (25%) skip brushing their teeth at night because they get home too late.
When it comes to the best overall dental health, Denmark takes the #1 spot. With a DMFT (decayed, missing, or filled teeth) index score of 0.4, Danish citizens have pretty perfect teeth. Germany, Finland, Sweden, and the UK all have scores below 1.0, making them the five countries with the healthiest teeth.
The Greeks used crushed bones and oyster shells to create a powder to clean their teeth.
A lot of British people will be used to brushing their teeth twice a day, alongside regular dental treatments. It's been a part of your life for as long as you can remember, and getting in those two minutes twice a day is as important as drinking water or getting eight hours of sleep!
Multiple cavities pit the teeth excavated from a Viking settlement found in modern-day Sweden. Anyone who survived to adulthood in the Viking Age probably had terrible teeth.
Of 28 European nations analysed, Norway came out as the most teeth-conscious country, followed by Luxembourg in second place and Germany in third place.
When oral hygiene habits were considered (table 1), the majority (n = 894, 74.4%) reported brushing daily; 94 (8.6%) and 162 (14.9%) reported brushing twice a day or more, respectively. Ninety (75%) reported brushing with fluoride toothpaste; 160 (13.3%) used dental floss regularly.
Tooth brushing habits in different European countries appear to vary considerably with reports of over 75% of adults and children brushing more than once a day in some countries, but less than 45% doing so in others: plaque levels generally remain high.
Not brushing your teeth for ten years will put you at serious risk for health complications. Our oral health is crucial to fighting off certain types of bacteria and keeping us healthy. When the health of our teeth and gums suffer, things like pneumonia can be more common.
The reality is that not brushing your teeth before bed is bad news. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing your beautiful smile twice a day. Skip a session, and you're on your way to encouraging the growth of bacterial buildup in the form of plaque, which can lead to cavities and even gum disease.
One week without brushing:
As soon as a week goes by, your teeth' enamel will start to break down. The plaque that hasn't been removed will make it easy for bad breath to grow. A dirty tooth will make it hard to clean. You will have a greater chance of getting cavities if you don't brush your teeth for a week.