Study Finds That Americans Are Definitely Not Flossing Enough

You and your dentist probably aren't too surprised to hear that a majority of Americans are not flossing enough. But as CNN reports, a new study found that one-third of American adults don't floss at all. The study looked at data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which asked 9,000 adults who were 30 or over how many times they flossed the week before. According to the results 37.3% reported less than daily flossing, while 30.3% reported daily flossing in the past week. But, 32.4% of the adults surveyed reported no flossing. The Center For Disease Control and Prevention said that these results reveal that American adults need to be better informed about the benefits of flossing. "Repetition is the key to mastering," Dr. Duong Nguyen told CNN. "If you hear it more and hear it from different places, maybe it will stick a little more." Nguyen explained that when you don't floss on a regular basis and remove the plaque between your teeth it can turn into tartar, which cannot be removed with toothpaste. Since tartar is what eats away at your teeth and gum sand could eventually result in your tooth falling out, you definitely don't want to get to that point. "We are telling people to floss, but if we don't tell them why and what it prevents, that could be one of the barriers," Nguyen said. "We need to improve health practices and make sure people understand something as easy as flossing can prevent a whole host of other dental issues for you as you age and grow up." The study revealed that men were less likely to floss than women, while participants over 75 also had a higher failure to floss. The study also revealed that Hispanic, black and low-income participants were less likely to floss.