Enhancing flossing compliance in college freshmen

This study examined the relationship between dental compliance and health locus of control in 41 college freshmen. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a control (N = 13) or experimental (N = 28) group. Dental flossing compliance was assessed in all subjects using a brief dental exam that assessed pocket depth and plaque as indexes of flossing behavior. The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale was used to measure health locus of control. An educational, low-fear intervention, consisting of the presentation of a pictorial diagram of the progression of periodontal disease and discussion of the importance of flossing was presented to the experimental subjects before monitoring began. Control subjects underwent a brief dental examination and flossing instruction only. Self-reported flossing compliance was monitored for 24 days following the dental examination and intervention. Significant decreases in the dental exam variables associated with plaque were found for both the experimental and control conditions. The low-fear, educational intervention had no significant impact on compliance. Instead, a dental exam and self-monitoring were as effective at increasing flossing compliance as the more time-consuming educational approach. A significant increase in internality of health locus of control across all subjects was also found. No significant interaction was found between health locus of control and group, but a trend was apparent. Control subjects who were externally oriented had the lowest flossing compliance scores while internal subjects in both conditions had higher flossing compliance scores.