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new study shows that people today have more gum disease than people living 2,000 years ago. study is from university King's College in London and is published in 'British Dental Journal'. Researchers looked at teeth in skulls of 303 people who lived between 200-400 AD (2,200-2,400 years ago). skulls were found at old burial site in west of England. researchers found that only 5 per cent of skulls showed signs of gum disease. Up to 30 per cent of people in England today have gum disease. Professor Francis Hughes was surprised by what he found. He said people did not have toothbrushes or toothpaste back then and did not visit dentists, like we do today.

main reason why modern people have more gum disease is smoking. Theya Molleson, co-author of report, said study shows that people's oral health has become much worse over past 2,000 years. She added that she thinks gum disease could start going down from now as more people stop smoking. She said: "As smoking declines in population, we should see a decline in [numbers of people with] disease." Gum disease happens when bacteria build up in your mouth. bacteria eat away at your gums and can make your teeth fall out. People can reduce the risk of gum disease by regular brushing, using mouthwash and not smoking.