At least one in four Irish people has five fillings or more and one in 10 has not been to a dentist in over five years, a new survey has found.

According to the findings, 55% of people have at least one cavity or filling and 29% have five filling or more. Furthermore one-fifth of people only brush their teeth once a day, which is not enough to deal with plaque - the thin layer of bacteria over the teeth which can lead to a multitude or problems, including cavities, toothaches and bad breath.

Just one gram of plaque contains over a billion bacteria.

The survey, which involved 500 members of the public, noted that just 14% of people cite plaque as their main oral health concern. Meanwhile 23% of people never floss their teeth, and 22% only floss if there is something stuck in their teeth.

The findings also show that the vast majority of Irish people do not use an electric toothbrush even though these have been found to be more effective at removing plaque.

The survey, which was conducted by Oral-B, also noted that almost nine in 10 Irish people believe their teeth could look better.