As blows to cherished national stereotypes go, it is as akin to the British being told we are worse at war than the French. For Americans, it cannot get any more shocking than this — their teeth have been revealed to be worse than those of the English.
After a century of jokes about wonky grins and protruding incisors, the first systematic dental comparison will cause even the most dazzling of Hollywood smiles to fade.
The average American is missing 7.31 teeth, compared to 6.97 in England, and the stateside poor are a whole tooth behind their counterparts in this country, according a paper in The BMJ entitled Austin Powers Bites Back.
“It does put the stereotype to bed — we’ve shown it’s not the