Half of UK adults (48 per cent) miss at least a quarter of their teeth when brushing, putting their oral health at risk, a new study has found.

Commissioned by Brushlink – the first smartphone ‘tooth brushing tracker’ – the study also showed variation in age, with less than a third of 18-34 year olds (29 per cent) reaching all of their teeth when brushing, compared to 55 per cent of those aged 55 and over.

Further insights revealed that 61 per cent of UK adults have never been shown how to brush their teeth correctly by a dentist or hygienist and 24 per cent say that someone in their household has had dental treatment in the last two years for problems that could have been prevented by better tooth brushing and oral hygiene.

“This survey has revealed some intriguing insights into our oral health regimes,” commented Professor Elizabeth Kay MBE, oral health topic expert for NICE. “There is no substitute for good tooth brushing practices when it comes to maintaining a healthy mouth, yet it would appear from the survey that there is a lot more that we can all do to achieve this effectively.”