Mainland's Chinese people  brush their way through 5.2 billion tubes of toothpaste a year, but 97.6 percent of them still suffer from mouth diseases, according to the latest survey of oral disorders.

The report, released by the Chinese Stomatological Association (CSA), said mainlanders' annual toothpaste consumption has jumped from 25 million tubes in the early 1950s to the current 5.2 billion.

CSA secretary-general Yan Jingfang, however, warned that prevention and treatment of mouth diseases like tooth decay and periodontosis remain problematic as one third of urban Chinese and 57 percent of their rural counterparts do not wash their teeth everyday.

The Ministry of Health and the CSA have jointly launched a month-long "no tooth decay" campaign to educate the public about oral health and invite stomatologists to offer free oral health consultations in over 40 cities around the country.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2006)