Oral diseases, such as tooth decay and gum disease, are among the the most widespread chronic illnesses globally – affecting an estimated 3.5 billion people. They pose a significant problem not just because of how common they are, but because they can cause serious health complications.

For instance, untreated oral diseases can lead to pain, infection and potentially even tooth loss. Research also shows gum disease has a bidirectional relationship with several other serious diseases – including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.

Furthermore, oral diseases have a significant economic burden and are the fourth most expensive group of diseases to treat globally. They also have the indirect cost of productivity losses due to absence from work and school.

Being able to take care of your oral health is extremely important. But with a shortage of NHS dentists and a growing number of people struggling to access dental care – coupled with the UK’s ageing population – it could mean millions more will have oral diseases in the next couple of decades if these problems aren’t addressed soon.

My colleagues from the University of Greenwich and Cape Western Reserve University and I have forecast what the future of oral health could look like in the UK.

Using advanced modelling techniques, we were able to predict the prevalence of tooth decay and gum diseases in UK adults from 2020 to 2050. We found that over half of the UK’s population could be living with some form of dental disease by 2050.

We input data from the UK’s 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey (ADHS) into a simulation model. The model used complex equations to create the projections of tooth decay and gum disease.

Participants were divided into groups according to their oral health status. Then, each group was split further into three categories depending on the presence and severity of the person’s condition.

Based on these results, we project that overall the number of people living with gum disease is set to increase from 42% of the UK’s population to 54% of the population by 2050.

The number of people exhibiting signs of gum disease (such as gum pockets and gum tissue loss) is expected to rise from 25.7 million in 2020 to 28 million by 2050. The number of people with gum tissue loss alone is projected to increase from 18.7 million in 2020 to nearly 21 million by 2050.

For adults who will be aged 16 to 59 in the year 2050, the outlook is somewhat positive. The number of people with tooth decay is expected to decrease slightly from 15.7 million in 2020 to 15.5 million by 2050 – a 1.5% decline.

But for those who will be aged 60 and over in 2050, the outlook is less positive. The number of over-60s with tooth decay is projected to nearly double from 5 million in 2020 to 9.6 million by 2050.

Overall, the burden of tooth decay and gum diseases is anticipated to shift from younger adults (16-59 years) to older adults. This highlights just how important it is that people currently in their 30s and 40s have access to good dental care now – and as they age.

As the model used population-based data from the 2009 ADHS survey, this means that one limitation of our study is that the model assumes the prevalence rates for dental diseases remain constant over time.

It will be important for future studies to look at more recent survey data to get a more accurate projection of the future of oral health in the UK.

Our study did not investigate why the picture of oral health looks so bleak in the future. But many factors are known to contribute to poor dental health – including poor oral hygiene (such as not brushing twice daily or smoking), infrequent access to dental care and low socioeconomic status.

With reports that the pandemic has only compounded existing issues with accessing dental services in the UK, change needs to happen soon – otherwise the picture of oral health for British adults is bleak.

The new Labour government has a crucial opportunity to be proactive rather than reactive in planning for future oral health needs. This means putting more services in place now to meet the needs of our ageing population.

If these challenges aren’t promptly addressed, projected oral health outcomes could deteriorate even further than predicted.

Some of the proactive measures that might be introduced include integrating oral healthcare into general medical care and focusing on preventative measures – such as improving access to quality dental services, enhancing early screening programmes and making sure dental issues are treated promptly.

Investing in oral hygiene education programmes may help to improve oral health literacy early on. Water fluoridation also remains essential in preventing tooth decay.

On an personal level, there are many things you can do to look after your oral health – such as brushing twice daily, flossing, reducing sugar consumption, quitting smoking and moderating alcohol intake.

Try to see your dentist regularly for a check-up if you can – ideally every two years at least, if you don’t have any problems. If you do notice any changes in your oral health, make an appointment as soon as possible.

Once again, Donald Trump glided down what this time was just his virtual gold-plated escalator. Once again, Trump was going to kick off a run for the presidency. Once again, he had a carefully calculated scheme for capturing the attention of the news media and the public whose minds, frankly, had begun to wander. Once again, Trump would use one of his time-tested, racially skewed attack themes that he knew would get the media focusing on him and the public talking about him. And this time he needed it more than ever because he had this surprise new opponent – Kamala Harris – who, being new, was getting way too much media buzz. And worse, way too much money. Only this time, Trump got off his virtual gilded escalator in Chicago. Because that’s where the National Association of Black Journalists was convening. They had invited him to be interviewed onstage – and that’s where Trump knew for sure that the attention he craved could be easily captured. Trump planned to deploy his time-tested attention-getting scheme that was built around his no longer secret weapon – the surefire shock value he would ignite by launching yet another race-based attack. It worked perfectly when Trump launched himself into national politics. He didn’t propose a solution to any of your problems. He just launched his totally bogus birther claims, questioning whether President Barack Obama was born in Kenya, not America. That got Trump his attention. Then he came down his golden escalator in 2015 and used another race-based attack theme to get the attention that came to be his campaign theme: that Latin American drug dealers and criminals were flooding into the United States across the border with Mexico. On Wednesday, Trump was interviewed by Black journalists and launched his re-schemed secret weapon. Trump astonished an interviewer and the entire audience by claiming that his new Democratic presidential opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, had hidden her Black heritage – until it proved politically advantageous for her to highlight it. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black, Trump told the audience of Black journalists. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black? I respect either one but she obviously doesn’t because she was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black person. Trump added: I think somebody should look into that too. So of course, a world of news media fact-checkers did just that. Trump was talking, of course about a California woman whose father was from Jamaica and mother was from India. Harris chose to go to a historically Black college (Howard University in Washington, D.C.) and joined a historically Black sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha). When she was elected California attorney general in 2010, her website called her the first African American woman and first South Asian woman in California to hold the office. And when she won, a rich guy in New York City, Donald Trump, contributed to her campaign. During the Q&A session, ABC News’ Rachel Scott noted a number of Trump’s quotes in which he had disparaged Black people, including Black prosecutors and had told four congresswomen who are racial minorities to go back to the places they came from. Then she asked: Why should Black voters trust you after you have used language like that? Trump responded that he’d never been questioned in such a horrible manner before. He also complained that her questions were rude and nasty. When he was president, Trump made similar disparaging comments about Black women reporters, including April Ryan and Yamiche Alcindor, when they asked questions he did not like. In this startup of what seems to be a contentious fall campaign, candidates traditionally follow the strategy of beginning by courting and solidifying what they figure will be their political base. And that was what happened this week. Harris chose to rally her core supporters at the national convention of a historically Black sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho in Houston. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, said Harris. A leader who doesn’t respond with hostility and anger when presented with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us. They are an essential source of our strength. And Trump, as we just saw, clearly chose to rally his core supporters who, he believes, get fired up when he speaks harshly and critically to – or about – Kamala Harris and journalists. Especially Black journalists. The Republican presidential standard bearer’s fiery attack lines at the Black journalists’ convention was big news that night and all the next day. Trump must be pleased that his plan worked so well, once again.

Every medal-winning athlete goes home with the same two prizes in their hands from the Paris Olympics 2024. Simply, a chunk of admittedly very well-earned metal denoting their bronze, silver, or gold win and another special souvenir – a poster in a yellow box, depicting Paris including the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine.

But, shockingly, their financial rewards wildly differ. Although no Olympians get paid for competing, winners from one particular country are gifted a two-bed apartment for their endeavors, while others can scoop as much as £587,000 for being at the very top of their game or as little as nothing. Nor do they earn the same in training for their Olympic places, as this depends on their particular sport.

Of course, it’s not just about the money – every winner will be basking in the glory of being the very best in their field and, for some, it’s an extra-special achievement.

This includes sportspeople such as rower Georgie Brayshaw, 30, who was paralyzed and in a coma at the age of 15 after a horrifying accident but has gone on to win gold.

Others worthy of mention are the likes of diver Tom Daley, 30 – who came out of retirement to win silver in the men’s syncho 10m platform just because Robbie, his six-year-old son, wanted to see ‘Papa’ diving in the Olympics – and swimmer Adam Peaty, 29, who beat depression and alcoholism to scoop silver in the men’s 100m breaststroke.

But in a competition where an athlete can earn as little in training as a Nando’s employee or as much as £170 million through sponsorship deals, remuneration clearly matters. So OK! delved into how much Olympic athletes are really making…

Medal winners aren’t given cash directly by the International Olympics Committee, but it’s sometimes awarded by their country. According to research by Forbes, the US business magazine, Hong Kong gives the most to their participants if they win a medal – gold gets £587,300 with silver awarded £295,500. It’s reported that Singapore gave winning athletes a staggering £776,000 each at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Israel is second on the list, with gold medalists receiving £213,000, while Serbia is third, where a gold winner gets £169,900.

The USA also awards cash prizes, but significantly less than many other nations, from nearly £30,000 for gold medalists like Simone Biles, 27 – who won the team and individual artistic gymnastic women’s all around – to around £12,000 for bronze.

Until this year, Team GB winners received no cash reward, but then World Athletics controversially announced it would give £38,967 to anyone who wins a gold medal in track and field events, such as Team GB sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, 28. Defending the decision, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said it was fair considering athletics’ contribution to the tournament.

They [athletes] are largely responsible for the sums, the revenue streams, the sponsorship that comes into the sport, he told CNBC. I’ve always felt that it was really important to recognize that.

Swimmer Tom Dean, 24, who won gold as part of the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay joined the chorus of calls for prize money to be paid to others, saying: When I tell people that we don’t receive any prize money from ­winning Olympic gold medals, that is always a shock and a surprise to everyone. Whereas we do in the world championships, the ­Europeans. It’s just the biggest screen, in front of the most people, millions and millions of viewers, but you don’t see anything in return.

British athletes with a chance of winning a medal can also receive up to £28,000 in funding each year, mainly from the National Lottery.

And according to Oxford Economics, which worked out the value of metals used in the medals, the gold is worth £807. This year’s medals are unique, as they all include a piece of the Eiffel Tower embedded in them, removed during renovation works.

It’s not only cold, hard cash that’s there to reward some top-performing athletes, as some countries award other prizes too. Who wouldn’t want the two-bed apartment in Warsaw being offered by the Polish government to every gold medalist this year, celebrating Poland’s 100th year at the Olympics? Every medalist also gets a painting by a Polish artist, an investment-grade diamond, and a holiday voucher.

Medal-winning Serbian athletes will get a national pension that starts when they hit 40 years old, and South Korean medalists are exempted from military service, something that even K-Pop stars usually can’t avoid.

In previous Olympics, Indonesia promised to give one of its gold winners five cows and a house after Tokyo. And in Rio 2016, Russian champs were given BMW X5s, which they immediately sold as they couldn’t pay for their upkeep, with others receiving racehorses. A Japanese table tennis player is reported to have been given 100 bags of rice after scooping silver in Tokyo.

While some athletes earn enough through their sports to concentrate full time on their endeavors, many others need to work to make ends meet. Team GB runner Georgia Bell, 30, works in cybersecurity, while New Zealand canoeist Kurtis Imrie, 28, is an electrician. US boxer Morelle McCane, 29, is even said to have worked as a birthday party clown.

According to LadBible, Great Britain pays some top athletes, possibly like rower Helen Glover, 38, Tom Daley, and tennis player Andy Murray, around £28,130 a year to cover expenses. To put this into perspective, the job vacancy website Glassdoor quotes an assistant manager’s salary at Nando’s in London as between £26,000 and £33,000.

Yet for those who aren’t in the limelight, they might get nothing at all, resorting to friends, family, and crowdfunding to raise funds. Some Olympians, such as Team GB medal-winning divers Noah Williams, 24, and Jack Laugher, 29, have even been selling topless pictures on OnlyFans to fund their sporting dreams.

Many well-known athletes are also paid to endorse goods, from beauty products to fashion lines, and sporting goods to hotels and gyms.

Tom Daley would not only make money from his deals with the likes of Adidas and Etihad Airways in the past, but also the ad revenue from his vast Instagram and YouTube followings. And pole vaulter Molly Caudery, 24, is tipped to earn £10 million through deals such as modeling, as she becomes a household name at the Olympics next week.

The highest earning Olympian at Paris 2024 is reported to be Spanish golfer Jon Rahm, 29, who has deals worth more than £170 million, while American basketball player LeBron James, 39, is believed to receive around £100 million from his endorsements and business ventures.

Oil Updates – prices set for 4th weekly fall on demand concerns

LONDON: Oil prices held steady on Friday but remained on course for a fourth successive weekly decline as signs of weak growth in global fuel demand outweighed fears of supply disruption in the Middle East.

Brent crude futures were up 18 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $79.70 a barrel by 12:40 p.m. Saudi time. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 16 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $76.47.

Both benchmarks have lost more than 7 percent over the past four weeks in the longest run of weekly losses this year.

Weak economic growth in major economies could stifle oil demand despite increased tensions in the Middle East that could impact supplies, said Panmure Liberum analyst Ashley Kelty.

Economic data from top oil importer China and a survey showing weaker manufacturing activity across Asia, Europe and the United States raised the risk of an sluggish global economic recovery that would weigh on oil consumption.

Falling manufacturing activity in China also inhibited prices, adding to concerns about demand growth after June data showed imports and refinery activity lower than a year earlier.

Asia’s crude oil imports in July fell to their lowest in two years, sapped by weak demand in China and India, data from LSEG Oil Research showed.

Meanwhile. an OPEC+ meeting on Thursday kept the group’s oil output policy unchanged, including a plan to start unwinding one layer of production cuts from October.

Crude futures were marginally higher early Friday … as demand concerns continued to tip the balance against supply worries stoked by a surge in Mideast geopolitical tensions, said Vandana Hari, founder of analysis provider Vanda Insights.

Oil investors are also monitoring developments in the Middle East, where the killing of senior leaders of Iran-aligned militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah stoked fears that the region could be on the brink of all-out war, threatening to disrupt supplies.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed group Hezbollah said its conflict with Israel had entered a new phase and pledged a response after its top military commander was killed in an Israeli strike.

Australia fines Mercer Super $7 million for misleading ESG claims on its investments

(Reuters) -Australia’s corporate regulator said on Friday that the country’s Federal Court has penalized Mercer Superannuation with a fine of A$11.3 million ($7.35 million) for wrongful claims of the pension fund’s sustainable investments.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) had initiated Federal Court proceedings against the superannuation giant in early 2023, accusing them of misleading the public with wrongful claims.

Contraventions admitted by Mercer are serious. They arose from failures by Mercer to implement adequate systems to ensure that ESG claims in relation to its superannuation products were accurate, ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court said.

Mercer has accepted the court’s decision about its five marketing statements, it said in an emailed response to Reuters.

We have cooperated with ASIC and undertaken a comprehensive review of our internal marketing processes and procedures, Mercer said while assuring that members’ funds will not be used to pay the fine.

($1 = 1.5368 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Rajasik Mukherjee, additional reporting by Aaditya Govind Rao; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)