Venezuelans are skipping brushing their teeth due to the economic recession.

As Venezuela's economic decline worsens, many Venezuelans are struggling to obtain even the most basic personal hygiene products, such as toothpaste, The Washington Post reports.

Many Venezuelans can no longer afford toothpaste. A tube of toothpaste in the country now costs the equivalent of half a week's salary for many workers due to inflation reaching 700%. (Source: Pixabay.com)

“I’ve always liked brushing my teeth before bed. I mean, that’s obvious, right? Now I have to choose between brushing in the morning or in the evening because I can only choose one. So I can only brush in the morning,” said Ana Margarita Rangel, a worker living in one of the slums 25 miles west of Caracas.

Rangel reportedly earns around 97,531 bolivars per month, which is about $70 USD according to Venezuela's official exchange rate, but is actually only $12.53 USD (equivalent to nearly 285,000 VND) at market value.

Ana Margarita Rangel earns minimum wage by working in a cosmetics factory in the suburbs of Guarenas, Caracas. Photo: The Washington Post

However, the currency is rapidly depreciating, and inflation in Venezuela is projected to reach 1,500% this year. This has resulted in Rangel and 32% of Venezuelans earning the minimum wage being unable to afford basic hygiene products like toothpaste, as well as other essential necessities such as food and medicine.

The Venezuelan government has set price caps for basic food items like pasta, rice, and flour, but people are forced to queue for hours in the sweltering heat to buy them.

Like millions of Venezuelans, Rangel has cut out key protein sources through dieting, such as chicken, beef, and fruit, even though she and her three children all have jobs.

"We always end our meals talking about all the things we can no longer have. I don't spend afternoons cooking anymore because I don't have meat or vegetables to prepare," she said.

A recent report revealed that over 15% of Venezuelans are forced to dispose of waste as a means of survival, while the majority go to bed hungry.

Another resident of the Rangel neighborhood, Rainer Figueroa, 30, told The Post that he had to stop playing football because he needed to conserve calories. Having lost nearly 11 kg in the last six months, he now eats only two meals a day and enough food to feed his three children.

Daily protests are currently taking place across Venezuela calling for elections against the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro. Particularly noteworthy is the Runrunes rally, which has claimed at least 108 lives since opposition protests began in April, with police brutally massacring protesters using cannons and rubber bullets.

According to Dan Tri