Plaque reduction and tensile strength evaluations of three dental floss products

To compare GUM ButlerWeave Mint waxed floss, Reach Mint waxed floss and Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Original waxed floss for the tensile strength parameters, load and elongation, and for their ability to reduce artificial plaque. Also examined is the potential relationship between the tensile strength physical attributes and floss efficacy.

For artificial plaque removal, floss products were placed around interproximal surfaces of artificial plaque-covered posterior-shaped teeth extending to a 60° angle. The testing apparatus moved the floss in a vertical direction to the tooth apex at two strokes per second with a 5 mm stroke for 15 seconds at a pressure of 150 g. The artificial plaque substrate was then evaluated for depth of artificial plaque removed (DPR) using a color comparison scale. Two tensile strength assays measuring maximum load and elongation also were conducted; the assays were based on the guidelines of the American Society for Testing and Materials. Twenty cm floss segments were pulled apart using a constant velocity, a load cell of 5 kN and a test speed of 1000 mm/minute until each floss segment broke apart. For each floss segment, the maximum load was measured in pounds and the elongation was measured in millimeters. Results for artificial plaque removal and tensile strength assays were statistically analyzed using the post hoc Tukey test for multiple pairwise comparisons and t-tests, assuming unequal variance, to compare the DPR, load, and elongation means.

In the artificial plaque removal assay, the mean DPR for GUM ButlerWeave Mint waxed floss was greater than the mean DPR for Reach Mint Waxed floss and Oral-B Glide Pro Health Original Waxed floss (P< 0.001). The mean DPR for Reach Mint waxed floss was also greater than Oral-B Glide Pro Health Original waxed floss mean DPR (P< 0.005). In the tensile strength load assay, both Oral-B Glide Pro Health Original waxed floss and GUM ButlerWeave Mint waxed floss had statistically higher means than Reach Mint waxed floss (P< 0.001 for each). There was no significant difference between the Oral-B Glide Pro Health and GUM ButlerWeave Mint waxed floss means (P> 0.05). In the elongation assay, the GUM ButlerWeave Mint waxed floss and Reach Mint waxed floss have statistically higher means than Oral-B Glide Pro Health floss (P< 0.001 for each). There was no statistically significant difference between the GUM ButlerWeave Mint waxed floss and Reach Mint waxed floss means (P> 0.05). In these laboratory assays there were no clear relationships, causal or otherwise, between artificial plaque removal and the testing tensile strength evaluations conducted.

Dental plaque will result in the development of caries, gingivitis and periodontal disease if not removed regularly. The statistically higher efficacy of GUM ButlerWeave Mint waxed floss in decreasing artificial plaque depth, compared to two commercially available floss products that have demonstrated clinical efficacy in decreasing plaque and gingivitis, indicate that this product also may be effective for the treatment and reduction of plaque and related diseases.