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Most Poles believe that the issue of tooth loss, and thus dentures, is a taboo subject. Unfortunately, this evokes a sense of shame in people struggling with this problem and negatively affects their well-being. It is shocking, considering that this group has 9 million people in our country! Meanwhile, while wearing dentures, you can still enjoy life to the fullest.
The issue of dentures concerns a very large group of people in our country. Already every second Pole aged 40+ copes with missing teeth in this way! * This gives a surprising number – 9 million users of dentures.
Despite the fact that the problem is so common, this topic is still embarrassing. Dental wearers usually share this information only with their immediate family. Fear of an incident – a dentures falling out in public or being simply noticed – prevents them from behaving naturally and often forces dentures wearers to give up their favorite activities.
In order to combat this phenomenon, a social and educational campaign “9 million reasons” was created, initiated by GlaxoSmithKline – which as the owner of the Corega brand, which is a leader in the segment of products for fixing and hygiene of dentures, and a socially responsible company – undertook to educate the society in this topic.
Due to the importance and scale of the problem, the Polish Dental Society and the Polish Psychological Society were also involved in the “9 million reasons” campaign. The main goal of the campaign is to combat the feeling of shame among people wearing dentures and to make the public aware that dentures are completely normal. The originators of the campaign want to make this group aware of how common the problem is, also among relatively young people, and how a normal solution is a dental prosthesis. It shouldn’t be a reason to feel inferior in any way.
Robert Janowski became the ambassador of the campaign. As he admits, he was prompted to get involved in the project by the shocking number of people using dentures. “I had no idea that such a large part of society is in a way marginalized and struggling with so many problems. People wearing dentures are often afraid of falling out while laughing, eating or sneezing, as well as the fear that someone will notice it or even laugh at it in public. The society undoubtedly needs education in this area, ”comments Robert Janowski on his involvement in the campaign.
In order to understand what prosthetic users feel and where their fears come from, and what their image is in society, it was necessary to collect data on this topic. To this end, a group of 9 respondents was surveyed by creating the “300 million reasons” campaign. Both people who use dentures and those who do not use them participated in the study, which allowed for the collection of reliable information from various points of view. The results of the study show how great is the need for education in this area.
The responses of the respondents confirmed that dentures are still a taboo subject – over 60% agree with this opinion. subjects. This view is especially common among people aged 50-59, in which the percentage of people confirming it was as high as 69%. It is not surprising, therefore, that almost 70 percent. dentures wearers have never discussed it with anyone outside their immediate family or with their doctor. “The beginning is the worst,” says Grazyna, 53, from Warsaw. “I took 3 weeks off work, I didn’t tell anyone. Then, at the very beginning, I also talked a little less, said that I had personal problems and that was respected. “
So much embarrassment about this topic makes us wonder where the cause of the problem lies. It turns out that as much as 95 percent. of the respondents believe that the loss of teeth is the result of neglect of hygiene and the lack of control visits to the dentist. This, in turn, may lead to the erroneous conclusion that denture wearers are themselves responsible for their condition, which has been caused by their carelessness. Meanwhile, few people are aware that genetic conditions, past diseases and side effects of treatment, e.g. oncology, lack of access to appropriate dental care, or simply unfortunate accidents are often responsible for tooth loss.
The second factor that commonly puts dentures wearers in a negative light is the mistaken assumption that the problem only affects very old people. When asked how many people aged 40+ wear dentures, the respondents answered 20-30%. Meanwhile, this percentage is as high as 57 percent. To further illustrate it, let’s add that as much as 67 percent. people wearing dentures are under 60 years of age! “At the beginning it is stressful that I am too young, that it is for old people,” explains 49-year-old Joanna from Warsaw. “Now I don’t regret it, I don’t run to the dentist every month, I don’t struggle with terrible pain, I don’t have holes after my teeth have been torn out, I can eat much better than I could for a long time because my teeth were brittle, weak.”
In view of such a common misconception of this group, it is worth taking a closer look at who the prosthetic wearers really are. It turns out that 70 percent. of people wearing dentures have a university or secondary education, which contradicts the belief that tooth loss must be the result of poor hygiene resulting from low education. As we have already pointed out, these are also people much younger than commonly believed, as this problem very often affects middle-aged people. Interestingly, dentures are mainly worn by women. It is also worth emphasizing that there is no clear correlation between the place of residence and wearing a dentures – the problem is almost equally related to people living in villages and in large cities. We should also emphasize the fact that less than half of people wearing dentures, as much as 47%, wear partial dentures, which means they still have their own teeth.
As you can clearly see, the necessity of wearing a dentures can meet almost everyone, so it should cease to be a taboo subject a long time ago. The more so that people who deal with missing teeth in this way speak very favorably about this solution. They usually indicate convenience. “My teeth were so weak that I was afraid to bite something so as not to break them and suddenly I can eat again, bite more confidently, I am not so afraid” – explains Grazyna, 53, from Warsaw.
Equally important for people wearing dentures are also aesthetic considerations. “My wife had a denture first and I saw that it was great how she looked different because she hadn’t had too nice teeth before. And then I did too. And now we are the ones who kiss more often, because that is what we want to do more, ”says 55-year-old Mr. Dariusz from Radom.
Get to know the detailed report “9 million reasons” examining users of dentures in Poland!
* Figures are taken from the “9 Million Reasons” report by GlaxoSmithKline, owner of the Corega brand.
Before use, read the package leaflet or consult your doctor or pharmacist, as any drug used improperly is a threat to your life or health.
The material was created in cooperation with the Corega brand as part of the www.9milionówpodowów.pl campaign