Scientists say we clean our teeth the wrong way. Researchers from University College, London found that most of the advice that dentists give us is very different. They add that we have been cleaning our teeth the wrong way. The researchers looked at tooth-brushing advice in dental textbooks, toothpaste instructions and dental clinics. They found five different basic ways of tooth-brushing and decided all of them were incorrect. Most of the methods involve moving the toothbrush along the teeth, with the brush moving round and round in small circular movements. The researchers said we should stop doing this and use a back-and-forth movement instead.

Aubrey Sheilam, lead author of the study and professor of dental public health, said: "The public needs to have sound information on the best method to brush their teeth." The research suggests not brushing teeth too much. More than twice a day damages the enamel on the teeth. The recommended time for brushing is no longer than three minutes each time. The research also says using too much pressure and brushing your teeth too hard will also damage teeth. Researchers also advised not cleaning your teeth immediately after eating. This is when acid is strongest in your mouth and this acid will damage teeth. A final recommendation was to clean the tongue too because it also has a lot of bacteria.

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.The research is from a dental university in the USA.T / F

b.Researchers looked at the way thousands of people clean their teeth.T / F

c.Researchers found five different ways we clean our teeth.T / F

d.Researchers say we shouldn't brush using circular movements.T / F

e.A professor said people have the best tooth-brushing information.T / F

f.The study recommends brushing teeth four times a day.T / F

g.The research advises against brushing too hard.T / F

h.Researchers say we also need to clean our tongue.T / F

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.What university are the researchers from?

2.What does the research say about the advice dentists give us?

3.How many basic ways to tooth brushing did the research find?

4.What kind of movements does the research say we shouldn't do?

5.What kind of toothbrush movement does the research suggest?

6.What did the lead author say the public needs?

7.What part of the tooth gets damaged if we brush our teeth too often?

8.What is the maximum length of tooth-brushing time?

9.When does the research say we shouldn't clean our teeth?

10.What is also on the tongue that needs cleaning?

答案

TRUE / FALSE

a F b F c T d T e F f F g T h T

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.University College, London

2.It's all different

3.5

4.Circular movements

5.Back and forth movements

6.Information about tooth brushing

7.The enamel

8.3 minutes

9.Immediately after eating

10.Bacteria