If someone has bad-looking teeth, he often has to blame the fault on bad habits as a child. The latest findings, however, show that we can’t give up on ourselves because we didn’t protect our teeth as children, the older people get the more responsible they are for their oral health. The results were found by researchers at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the United Kingdom. A research project called the “Thousand Families Study” began in 1947, recording the health, upbringing, education, socio-economic status and family environment of 1,142 families over a 15-year period in England. Researchers at Newcastle University specifically selected 337 volunteers between the ages of 49 and 51 to study the remaining teeth in their mouths. Since the effects of tooth decay and various gum diseases on the mouth are cumulative and eventually leave teeth missing, studying the remaining teeth is a way to study oral history. The study found that the relationship between an individual’s family background and the health of his or her teeth and gums diminished with age, while the relationship between an individual’s adult lifestyle and socioeconomic status and oral health gradually increased. Researchers also found that the more people smoked, the fewer teeth they had left in old age, because smoking causes poor blood circulation to the gums and produces various gum diseases that eventually cause tooth loss. Other poor lifestyle habits, such as infrequent brushing or no regular dental checkups can affect the health of the oral cavity. The researchers also found that the men surveyed did not care much about their oral health between the ages of 20 and 30, which is an important source of dental disease in middle and old age. The researchers suggested the following points to help people take good care of their mouths: brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste; try not to eat sweets, especially between meals; don’t smoke; take expert advice to take care of your teeth; and chew sugar-free gum after meals to avoid tooth decay. It is never too late to take care of your teeth, especially when you are an adult and your teeth will never grow back. Therefore, adults need to take better care of their mouths than children, and the older they get, the more responsible they are for their oral health.