Why use dental floss when you can use a hammer?

Thousands of people floss while driving, use hammers or screwdrivers to clean between their teeth, or have attempted to bite the cap off a bottle, a British Dental Health Foundation survey reports.

Earrings, business cards, lollipop sticks, penknives, scissors, paperclips, needles, pins, matchsticks and pieces of paper or plastic are among the items that come to hand when floss or interdental brushes are unavailable, it says.

The foundation's survey of more than 1,000 people in 10 cities reveals an alarming lack of concern for dental and gum care, the charity says. Nor do people appreciate the link between gum disease and increased risk of diabetes, strokes, heart disease or, for women, giving birth to premature or low-weight babies .

It says a worrying 13% of those surveyed admit that they have flossed while driving, while 20% have turned to knives, forks or penknives to clean between their teeth, 6% to needles or pins, 3% to pens or pencils and a similar number to business cards, paper or plastic.

Nigel Carter, the BDHF's chief executive, said: "These results do not give people in the UK a great deal to smile about ... Couple that with the fact that 27% of people have opened a bottle with their teeth, nearly half of those being women."

The survey also found that 29% of people have bleeding gums and almost half of those ignore them or brush their teeth more softly to avoid making them worse.