Why many people in the USSR did not brush their teeth – you will be surprised!

A shocking fact. In the early 1970s, a large-scale study was conducted in the Soviet Union, the purpose of which was to find out how the citizens of a vast country brush their teeth. Then it turned out that only 25% of people in big cities use a toothbrush and toothpaste twice a day! About 40-45% of Soviets admit that they brush their teeth irregularly: for example, when they go on a visit or to the theater. And not everyone does it at all…

It so happened that for decades the authorities of the USSR did not consider it necessary to pay attention to the development of the dental industry. A beautiful smile was seen as another relic of the capitalist world – on par with trends in fashion, cosmetology and the beauty industry as a whole. There was no question of dental appliances and aesthetic crowns of light shades!

The Soviets went to the dentist only in extreme situations – when they suffered from unbearable pain and were ready to spend an hour under torture by terrible exercise (and, I must say, completely low-tech compared to its Western counterparts).

The situation began to change only after the aforementioned research. In 1970, the law “Basic Principles of Legislation of the USSR and the Union Republics on Public Health” was adopted, which aimed to contribute to the improvement of the health of the population. And a year later, special emphasis was placed on dentistry. The number of dentists began to increase gradually, but quite significantly, and dental technologies began to improve.

In addition, special attention was paid to the prevention of dental diseases and the regular use of a toothbrush and toothpaste – especially in childhood. But before that, in the USSR there was not even a division between children’s and adult dentists – everyone was treated the same, and in most cases without anesthesia.

Read also: Why in the USSR people looked older than their age – many of us make this mistake today!