Latvian Children Win Europe's Tooth Decay Olympics 2.5 to 1.1

Dental Institute researcher Ritvars Podziņš has announced sensational news — Latvia's 12-year-olds are absolute European leaders in tooth decay! While the average European child can boast only 1.1 damaged teeth, our heroic offsprings can already display a collection of 2.5 tooth damages by age 12.

"It's like a northern wind in a winter storm — impressive, but slightly frightening," comments local dentist Inese from Grobiņa. "98.5 percent of children already have cavities — that's a better result than Riga students' reading comprehension tests!"

Researcher Serhio Uribe tries to reassure that the situation is preventable, but honestly, who wants to prevent such a unique Latvian characteristic? Our children learn from early childhood that life isn't simple — even their teeth prove it.

"My daughter understood at age seven that candy should be eaten in moderation," says Aivars from Liepāja. "Now she's 12, and with her tooth collection she can tell a whole story about how she fell in love with chocolate. That's much more interesting than those boring Swedish children with their healthy teeth."

Specialists do warn that proper eating habits and fluoride toothpaste could reduce this unique Latvian cultural heritage. But do we really want to become just like everyone else?