​The majority of Brits haven’t been keeping their teeth in good order during lockdown.

That's according to research by dental health startup, Floe Oral Care.

Only one in eight (12%) have been brushing their teeth twice daily, the recommended routine by dental clinicians,

Almost half (44%) have been doing it just once a day and 18% admitted to not brushing their teeth on a daily basis.

Although dental surgeries have been open for almost a month now, NHS appointments backlog have doubled, and they are facing significant challenges on how they can operate and what services they can provide.

It is proven that good, consistent oral care can prevent oral disease.

British consumers aren’t aware of how often they should be replacing their toothbrush either.

One in three (32%) only replace it when it goes out of shape, whilst a quarter (24%) do this every six months. .

The mouth is often an entry point for infections, so keeping it healthy can stop incoming bacteria and viruses from spreading throughout the body. Additionally, poor oral hygiene is also linked to reduced self-esteem, which can lead to reduced social contact because of concerns over facial appearance.

Will Welton, co-founder and CEO at Floe Oral Care, said: 'We founded Floe to prove that good habits have a bigger impact on oral health than quick fix gimmicks. Spending hundreds of pounds is pointless unless you put the right habits in place, and yet too often we conflate spending on health with actually becoming healthier. That is Floe in a nutshell – a subscription service that delivers great products at the right time, and a culture that helps to build and maintain healthy habits – for both people and planet. The repetition of vital habits, making them stick, can only compound positively, and the knowledge that hundreds of thousands of people are doing the same thing – that really does have an impact.'

Only 8% of people are aware that toothbrushes cannot be recycled through domestic waste at home, which means they are now a typical feature in beach cleanups.

Floe has been built around a closed-loop supply chain, with customers encouraged to return their used products, free of charge, at the end of their life. The innovative recycling process will break down the brushes into their respective materials and enable them to be repurposed so that they don’t end up in the sea.

Floe Oral Care’s strategic ambition is to broaden its reach to act as a digital platform connecting patients to dental clinics, as well as tracking and improving a broad range of health indicators through product innovation and behavioural change.

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