Premium
The efficacy of dental floss in addition to a toothbrush on plaque and parameters of gingival inflammation: a systematic review
Author(s) -
Berchier CE,
Slot DE,
Haps S,
Van der Weijden GA
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of dental hygiene
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.674
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1601-5037
pISSN - 1601-5029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1601-5037.2008.00336.x
Subject(s) - medicine , gingivitis , dental floss , dentistry , toothbrush , medline , meta analysis , dental prophylaxis , cochrane library , gingival inflammation , periodontitis , dental plaque , oral hygiene , brush , electrical engineering , political science , law , engineering
Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess systematically the adjunctive effect of both flossing and toothbrushing versus toothbrushing alone on plaque and gingivitis. Materials: The MEDLINE and Cochrane Central register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases were searched through December 2007 to identify appropriate studies. The variables of plaque and gingivitis were selected as outcomes. Results: Independent screening of titles and abstracts of 1166 MEDLINE–Pubmed and 187 Cochrane papers resulted in 11 publications that met the eligibility criteria. Mean values and SD were collected by data extraction. Descriptive comparisons are presented for brushing alone or brushing and flossing. A greater part of the studies did not show a benefit for floss on plaque and clinical parameters of gingivitis. A meta‐analysis was performed for the plaque index and gingival index. Conclusions: The dental professional should determine, on an individual patient basis, whether high‐quality flossing is an achievable goal. In light of the results of this comprehensive literature search and critical analysis, it is concluded that a routine instruction to use floss is not supported by scientific evidence.