Hygiene is Two Thirds of Health Quiz

Answer: twice a day

The American Dental Association recommends that people brush their teeth twice a day, and floss daily.

You should brush your teeth before going to bed in order to protect your teeth overnight, and in the morning after eating breakfast to protect your teeth all day.

If you brush your teeth before breakfast, avoid drinking orange juice, as it will taste funny, most likely due to the surfactant (which makes the foam/bubbles) interacting with your sense of taste.

Answer: Fluoride

Fluoride strengthens the enamel of your teeth and helps to fight tooth decay.

When you brush your teeth, you should only use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste, which is usually much less than shown in advertisements or on the packaging for toothpaste.

Answer: 20 seconds

Twenty seconds is about as long as it takes to sing a short song or two like the alphabet, "Happy Birthday", or "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". So sing while you wash your hands.

While many people prefer anti-bacterial soap, any soap will work for washing your hands.

Answer: nose and mouth

Covering your nose and mouth when sneezing will reduce the spread of germs. A good practice is the "vampire sneeze" - cover your mouth and nose with your elbow, similar to a movie vampire covering their face with a cape. This way you don't get germs on your hands.

If you're sick, you should also wash your hands very often.

Answer: shampoo

Washing your hair too often can dry out your scalp.

There is some disagreement about how often you should wash your hair, but it really depends on your type of skin and hair type, as well as what activities you do during the day. The majority of opinions lie somewhere between every day to once every two weeks.

Answer: wipe the outer ear with a cloth

Ear wax is a natural protection/cleansing system for the ear, and normally does not require additional attention.

Never stick anything into the ear canal: not even a cotton swab. You will most likely just push the ear wax up against the ear drum, making it hard to hear, and risk damaging the eardrum.

Ear candles are not significantly effective and have dangerous complications, such as burns or ash damaging the eardrum.

If you have an excess build up of ear wax, there are over the counter solutions to help dissolve the wax. You may also want to see a doctor.

Answer: hands

Your hands should be washed many times throughout the day, especially after using the toilet or before you eat. While hand sanitizers can be used, soap and water is usually best, especially when there is visible dirt.

When going through puberty, teenagers may want to wash their face 3 or more times each day to control the excess oils in their skin.

Feet should be washed once per day, and dried well, especially in between the toes, in order to prevent infections such as athlete's foot (also known as tinea pedis).

Answer: No

Pimples are pores that have pus: oil, debris, and bacteria. Popping a pimple could introduce additional bacteria from your hand into the pimple, force the existing material even deeper into your skin, or spread the material to other pores.

Pimples will normally heal themselves in 3-7 days. Popping a pimple improperly could make it last for weeks or permanently scar your skin. Professional dermatologists have special tools and training to pop pimples, if necessary.

If you can't resist popping a pimple, wait for it to have a white head (the pus is close to the surface), use clean fingers and be gentle.

Answer: antiperspirants and deodorants are the same thing

While many products combine an antiperspirant with a deodorant, the two are different.

Sweat by itself does not have an odor, but bacteria interacting with the fats and proteins in your sweat does have an odor. Antiperspirants prevent you from sweating. Deodorants eliminate the bacteria. Both may have fragrances that mask any residual smells.

The apocrine glands that produce these fats and proteins in your sweat develop at puberty.

Answer: every day

Even clothes that aren't visibly dirty contain dead skin cells. Bacteria will feed on this material and cause odors.

If you need to wear items the next day (i.e. shoes or school uniforms), you should take them off as soon as possible and allow them to air out as much as possible.

Don't keep gym clothes in your locker all year. Try to bring them home every week or so to get washed.