The people of Ireland have some of the best dental habits compared to their cross-border neighbours, a new survey shows.



The survey, which was released in line with National Smile Month (16 May to 16 June), and commissioned by its campaign sponsors Wrigley's Orbit Complete, Oral–B and Listerine, surveyed more than 1,000 members of the public from 10 regions throughout Ireland and the UK.



It found that Dubliners floss more often than people in the UK, with positive responses five times higher than in London, Edinburgh and Belfast.

Toothpicks are also more popular in Dublin than anywhere in the UK, with scores on average three times higher.

Chief Executive of the International Dental Health Foundation, Dr Nigel Carter, said: ‘Although Dublin came top of the charts for flossers, the survey has flagged up that only 5% of them floss. This figure, along with the dramatically lower scores of the UK, needs to improve rapidly.'

The survey also found that exactly twice as many women floss in Dublin than men while almost twice as many men use toothpicks than women.

Further findings from the study will be released throughout National Smile Month on the Foundation's website at www.dentalhealth.org.