Fewer than half of middle-aged residents in Beijing clean their teeth even twice a week, and no more than 1% use dental floss, according to a story in the China Daily.
The data came from a survey conducted by Beijing Stomatological Hospital, according to the report.
More than 60% of respondents have dental caries, about 80% suffer bleeding gums, and nearly all have tartar, according to the survey.
"People do know the importance of oral heath, but less than 15% had gone to the department of stomatology in the past year," Han Yongcheng, director of the oral disease prevention department at the hospital, told the newspaper. "Most people only went to the clinics for toothaches. Less than 1% have had regular oral examinations."
The city government had established a plan of oral disease prevention that required more than 90% of residents to brush their teeth twice a day, according to the Beijing health bureau.
With help from the Beijing Stomatological Hospital, about 53,000 children in Beijing have received pit-and-fissure sealants since 2005, which has significantly reduced cases of tooth decay, the China Daily reported.
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