What dental health in Greece tells us about the financial crisis

“In few places are the wounds of Greece’s economic depression more evident than in the mouths of the nation’s children.” So says a special report from Reuters, which found that Greek children now have some of the worst dental health in Europe. This is a direct indicator of the country’s crippling economic depression, and could be storing up problems for the future, the report claims.

As the chart below shows, Greece is one of the sick men of Europe as far as dental health is concerned. “The number of Greeks 16 years or older reporting unmet dental care needs was 10.6 percent in 2013, according to Europe’s statistical agency Eurostat. That compares to a European Union average of 7.9 percent,” writes the special report’s author, Karolina Tagaris.

Meanwhile, a survey by the Hellenic Dental Federation found that the problems are particularly bad among children. “In the decade up to 2014, 60 percent of all dental problems in 15-year-olds were left untreated for at least a year, up from 44 percent in the previous decade. Almost all the five-year-olds surveyed – 86.8 percent – suffered dental problems that had not been treated,” writes Tagaris.

Greece’s six year economic depression has exacerbated the problem, experts say. With disposable incomes shrinking by 30% since the crisis began in 2006, visits to the dentist have become rarer, while public spending cuts have made it harder for Greeks to access free or low-cost healthcare. Overall, per capita health spending fell 9% a year between 2009 and 2012.

Dentists also say the financial crisis has led to an increase in the consumption of low-cost, sugary foods. “After dipping for a couple of years, sales of sugary snacks at supermarkets picked up again in 2013, according to Euromonitor, a consumer goods research group.”

This pattern has had an obvious effect on the state of the nation’s teeth, the piece argues. “It’s the sugar. Sugar is the food of the poor,” says one dentist.

This isn’t just bad news for Greece now – it could also lead to problems further down the line. Poor oral health has been linked to chronic illness such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Dental health has been long-associated with economic development – particularly in developing countries, where pain from problem teeth can keep children from going to school. Poor teeth can also prevent children from getting enough sleep and eating properly, which can affect concentration levels in the classroom.

Read the full Reuters Special Report, The latest sign of Greece’s decay: children’s teeth, here. All charts are from @ReutersGraphics

Author: Ross Chainey, Digital Media Specialist, World Economic Forum

Image: Dentist Christos Naoumis treats a young boy at the Doctors of the World polyclinic in central Athens, Greece, October 27, 2015. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis