Clinical evaluation of an automatic flossing device vs. manual flossing

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of an automatic flossing device to manual flossing. A total of seventy adult subjects (20 males and 50 females) were stratified into two groups balanced for age, sex, modified gingival index (MGI), plaque index (PI) and bleeding sites (Eastman Bleeding Index) using screening data. One group was randomly assigned the automatic power flosser and the other group was assigned manual dental floss. The subjects were instructed to brush their teeth twice a day (in the morning and before bedtime) for 30 seconds using the provided manual toothbrush and toothpaste. They were also to use their assigned dental floss or automatic power flosser once in the morning following toothbrushing. There was no significant difference between manual flossing and automatic flossing with respect to the MGI and the BI. There was, however, a significant difference at day 15 in the PI; however, this difference was only 0.73%. There was no significant difference in the PI at day 30 between the two techniques. The statistically significant difference noted in the interproximal PI at both day 15 and day 30 was less than 2%. Since the differences in plaque scores between the groups were so small, there was no apparent impact on gingival health since both flossers resulted in similar health benefits. Since there was a marked preference for the automatic flosser, patient compliance with the automatic flossing device may be better than with manual floss. Therefore, overall gingival health may benefit from this device.