Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Comparative effectiveness of flossing and brushing in reducing interproximal bleeding.

R C Graves1, J A Disney, J W Stamm

  • 1Department of Dental Ecology, School of Dentistry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Journal of Periodontology
|May 1, 1989
PubMed
Summary

Dental floss significantly reduces interproximal bleeding sites by 67%, outperforming toothbrushing alone (35% reduction). Three types of floss showed similar effectiveness in this comparative study.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Review and recommendations for zero-inflated count regression modeling of dental caries indices in epidemiological studies.

Caries research·2012
Same author

Total cystectomy for carcinoma.

Transactions of the American Association of Genito-Urinary Surgeons·2010
Same author

Exploring opportunities for collaboration between the corporate sector and the dental education community.

European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe·2008
Same author

The classic caries clinical trial: constraints and opportunities.

Journal of dental research·2004
Same author

International Consensus Workshop on Caries Clinical Trials (ICW-CCT)--final consensus statements: agreeing where the evidence leads.

Journal of dental research·2004
Same author

Periodontal diseases and human health: new directions in periodontal medicine.

Annals of periodontology·1998

Area of Science:

  • Periodontology
  • Preventive Dentistry

Background:

  • Gingival inflammation and interproximal bleeding are common indicators of poor oral hygiene.
  • Effective interproximal cleaning is crucial for managing gingival health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the effectiveness of three types of dental floss versus toothbrushing alone in reducing interproximal bleeding sites.
  • To evaluate the simplified interdental bleeding index (IBI) method for assessing gingival inflammation.

Main Methods:

  • A 2-week supervised clinical trial involving 119 adult subjects with gingival inflammation.
  • Random assignment to four groups: toothbrushing only or one of three dental floss types plus toothbrushing.
  • Assessment of interproximal bleeding sites using the interdental bleeding index (IBI) after stimulation with wooden interdental cleaners.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • The toothbrushing only group showed a 35% reduction in bleeding sites.
  • All three dental floss groups achieved approximately 67% reduction in bleeding sites.
  • The effectiveness of the three dental floss varieties was comparable, and they were twice as effective as toothbrushing alone.

Conclusions:

  • Dental floss is significantly more effective than toothbrushing alone in reducing interproximal bleeding.
  • Three types of dental floss demonstrated similar efficacy in improving gingival health.
  • The interdental bleeding index offers a simplified approach to assessing interproximal gingival inflammation compared to probing.