The British Dental Health Foundation’s National Dental Survey has highlighted some of the bizarre and worrying dental habits that Britons have.
More than 1,000 members of the public were surveyed as part of the BDHF poll, which was commissioned by its campaign sponsors Oral-B, Listerine and Orbit Complete.
One of the questions in the National Dental Survey asked respondents what they use to pick their teeth . A quarter claimed they used matchsticks as their toothpick of choice, while other unusual items included business cards and bank notes.
By contrast, less than six per cent of respondents admitted to using either a toothpick or dental floss .
Commenting on the strange responses, BDHF chief Dr Nigel Carter said: "Being told that people are four times more likely to use a matchstick than a toothpick is beyond belief. The thought of somebody using a matchstick to pick their teeth with might sound quite funny at first but in reality it is actually very concerning."
"It shows that people are just willing to use whatever instrument is closest to them at the time without any thought and clearly don't realise how much harm they could do."
Other objects mentioned were pins, needles, cocktail sticks, card and even the back of pierced earrings.
"A pierced earring is not exactly the most flexible of tools, it's sharp and could easily damage the surface of the tooth and could do real damage to the gums," Dr Carter continued.
He added that using a fingernail to pick teeth, which was the most common answer given, is just as hazardous as dirt under the fingernail can spread bacteria, and sharp nails can cause bleeding gums .
He said: "The best things to remove food from between the teeth with are the interdental brushes or wood sticks (not cocktail sticks), shaped particularly for this purpose.
"The survey has flagged up that only one percent of us floss. This figure needs to rapidly improve, as flossing or using an interdental brush is a vital part of a good oral health routine, removing food particles from between the teeth and plaque from against gumline. It should be done once-a-day before brushing."
"However, it is very important to be gentle, even when using proper dental floss, as jerking or snapping the floss into the gums can damage the gum tissue."
