:DentalPlans Releases Battle of the Sexes Survey for Valentine's Day

At home alone this Valentine’s Day? Blame your teeth.

According to a new survey* by :DentalPlans, bad breath and other oral health issues are one of the top three dating "deal breakers.”

Dental dilemmas were superseded only by having an “insanely jealous ex” and “being unemployed” as the top reasons to break off a budding romance.

The good news is that a great smile can help you connect with your soul mate. Thirty-one percent of those polled, both men and women, said that mouths are the facial feature they notice first. Eyes scored slightly ahead at 34 percent.

"Any new relationship starts with the exchange of a smile. It's one of the first things that we notice about someone," says Bill Chase, vice president of marketing for :DentalPlans. “Obviously, taking good care of that smile is really important.”

The survey revealed other areas where men and women were in agreement, as well as those where they were worlds apart. Among the highlights:

Smooch Before Dawn. Women (29 percent) are significantly more likely to plant their first kiss of the day on their significant other before rolling out of bed in the morning. People in relationships are most likely to kiss before rolling out of bed (24 percent) or after brushing their teeth in the morning (24 percent).

Kiss and Tell. When it comes to delivering difficult personal hygiene and appearance information, such as telling partners they need to go on a diet, are losing their hair, or should whiten their teeth, women are much more comfortable giving feedback than men (up to 12 percent more). But both sexes were equally at ease about telling someone that they have bad breath or have something stuck in their teeth.

Hygiene Stars. About 6 in 10 people think that women are the champions when it comes to their chompers -- taking far better care of their teeth than men do.  Women also are much more likely than men to participate in health related activities--except when it comes to using mouthwash, exercising and having regular doctor visits. When it comes to personal grooming the most neglected activities overall were flossing and using mouthwash every day.

*A national study was conducted for :DentalPlans between Jan. 5th and 7th, 2015 by Infosurv Research.  A total of 1,233 consumers were surveyed, yielding data with a margin of error of +/- 2.7%.The :DP SmileMeter™ is an ongoing national survey conducted for :DentalPlans designed to gauge consumer thoughts and perceptions on oral health.