Why you should keep flossing: Part Two

Associated Press Advice to Stop Flossing is Misguided:  Part 2


This is the second  in a series of articles where I respond to  the Associated Press news story
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entitled “Medical Benefits of Floss Unproven”  I will turn my attention to what the AP article  had

to say about flossing and cavity prevention.   I will explain why the AP article was inaccurate and

misleading and why  if you want to spend less time in the dentist chair you should definitely

make  flossing a part of your daily routine.


As a practising dentist for over 25 years I was puzzled by the claims in the AP article, as i am sure

were most in  the dental profession , for it is fairly evident for that flossing plays an important

role  in cavity prevention.  

The AP stated in their article:

“The AP looked at the most rigorous research conducted over the past decade, focusing on 25  studies that generally compared the use of a toothbrush with the combination of toothbrushes and floss. The findings? The evidence for flossing is "weak, very unreliable," of "very low" quality, and carries "a moderate to large potential for bias."

(Note:  the AP actually looked at five research papers that in turn pooled the results of 25 smaller studies.)

At the bottom of the AP article they listed five large studies  they used to base their flossing

 article on.   Only one of these studies looked at  whether flossing  prevents cavities:

 http://jdr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/85/4/298   

The study is titled:  “Dental flossing and interproximal caries:  A systematic review” (Hujoel,P.P.  

et al, 2006).

 In lay terms the study is trying to determine whether flossing has any effect on preventing

cavities from forming in between our teeth.

The authors, Hujoel et al did not conduct their own research to answer this question.  Instead

they initially looked through  130 studies done by other researchers related to flossing and cavity

prevention .  They narrowed their focus down to   six studies they felt were the most suitable to

determine whether flossing reduces cavities.

Here is a summary of what the  six studies found.  I will list the full names of these six studies at

the end of this report.

Note:  after reading the summary of these six studies you may be left wondering how the

Associated Press can claim there is no research to support daily flossing reduces cavities.

Study 1      Wright et al (1979)
Study 2      Wright et al (1980)

Wright et al used  5 and 6 year olds in their research.

In the two studies they ran,  children  had all the  teeth on one side of their mouths

professionally flossed once a day at school, five days a week, for ten months  (excluding

weekends and summer holidays).

The result:  there were 40% fewer cavities on the side of the mouth that was flossed.

Comment:  These two studies clearly show there was a benefit of daily flossing in these children

and negates the premise of the AP article

Study 3 Gisselsson et al  (1988)

This study put 10 and 11 year olds  into two groups.

In one group, children were asked to floss every night at home. Their  flossing was not

supervised by the researchers.  The other group of children did not floss.

The study lasted two years.  As well,  the experimenter put the children who had the fewest

cavities and fillings in the “flossing”  group at the start of the experiment.

The result:   

The results need to be looked at carefully.  

There was no difference in cavity rate in the flossing versus non-flossing group.

However after the study was completed they found that most of the children who were put in

the flossing group were not  flossing every day at home.

Out of 20 children in the flossing group:

• 8 reported flossing at least every other day
• 12 children admitted to flossing only three times or less per week

Comment: the  kids who were in the flossing group had the same number of cavities as children

in the non-flossing group after two years, however since children in the flossing group were not

flossing daily this study does not properly address the question whether daily flossing reduces

cavities.  For this reason  one may  wonder why this study was  included in the research paper

written by Hujoel et al.

Study 4 Gisselsson et al (1994)

Children 4 years of age  took part in this study.  Children in group 1 (experimental  group) had

their teeth flossed once every 3 months with the floss dipped in  a chlorhexidine gel.

Children in another group (control group 1) had their teeth flossed with a gel that did not contain

any medicinal ingredient.

Children in a third group (control group 2) did not have their teeth flossed at all.

The study ran for three years.

Results:

After three  years  the three groups were compared.

Children in the group that had their teeth flossed with the chlorhexidine gel had slightly fewer

cavities than children in the two other groups.

Comment:

This study shows there is a small benefit to using a chlorhexidine gel delivered by floss  four

times a year in children but it  does not tell us anything about whether daily flossing reduces

cavities,  as the children  in the flossing group only had their teeth flossed 4 times a year in this

study.   Again, completely irrelevant to the question of whether daily flossing is of value.

Study 5 Granath et al, 1979.

This study was conducted on 12 and 13 year old children.

The researchers were interested in finding out whether simply moving a piece of floss once up

and once  down in between the teeth would have any effect on the rate of cavities In children.

(Note:  It important to know  that this is not the correct way to floss.

The purpose of flossing is to remove bacteria (plaque) that clings to the  surfaces of our teeth

 where the toothbrush doesn't reach.

Bringing a piece of floss up and down  once in between the teeth might remove lodged food but

would not do much at all  to disturb or loosen all the plaque that sticks to the tooth surface, as

 plaque is made up of bacteria that produces chemicals that glue it quite effectively to the tooth.

 The proper way of flossing is to bring the floss in between the teeth and rub the floss several

times against the side of one tooth and then the other to loosen  the sticky plaque off the side

of the tooth.)

Each child in the study flossed their teeth only  on one side of their mouth,  at school under

supervision  every day for two years.  They did not floss the other side of the mouth.

Results

Granath et al found no significant difference between the amount of decay or cavities on the

side that children used floss compared to the side they did not use floss.

Comment

The study found that the simple up and down once  method of flossing is of no benefit in

reducing cavities.  This does not mean we should give up on flossing; rather, it reinforces the fact

that flossing has to be done  properly to achieve any cavity reducing effect.

Study 6 Gisselsson et al, 1983.

This study was focused on a group of 10 and 11 year olds who were found to be the most prone

to cavities and gum inflammation out of a pool of  627 children.

87 of the children most prone to cavities and gum inflammation had their teeth professionally

cleaned every two to four weeks based on individual need for the next two years and we're also

given diet counselling and reminders on how to brush properly.   Approximately half  of the

children (experimental group)  were also shown how to floss and advised to floss daily at home

while other half were not (control group).

Results

Gisselsson states that at the end of the two year program of regular dental cleanings (every 2 to

4 weeks), children in the daily flossing group (which was at home, unsupervised) had

significantly fewer cavities than the group of children in the “no flossing group.”

Then they  waited another two years  and again checked cavity rates in the two groups.

This time they found that children in the “flossing” group had more cavities than kids in the

“non-flossing” group, however when they  further into the matter they found that  very few of

kids in the “flossing” group reported to  actually flossing at home more than once or twice a

week.  

It should be noted that within the “flossing group” children who said they  flossed at least three

times a week did not develop any cavities  after the second two year follow-up period.

Comment

This study shows children who flossed daily or several times a week  indeed had significantly

fewer cavities than children who did not floss.

Conclusions

I looked at the six studies that Hujoel et al used in their research paper.

I would say that studies 1, 2 and 6 showed that children who flossed daily developed  fewer

cavities.

Study 3 was unsupervised home flossing and unfortunately not enough children who were

supposed to be flossing daily actually  did so.

In study 4 kids in the “flossing group” had their teeth flossed a  total of 4 times a year so any

results of the study do not  shed light on the question regarding whether daily flossing prevents

cavities.

Study 5  showed that if you use poor flossing technique you are not going to get a reduction in

cavities.

So, in light of the studies discussed in this paper what is the take home message about flossing

and does it agree with the Associated Press article that claims flossing to be ineffective and

unnecessary?

I would say that based on the six research studies that Hujoel et al selected, we can conclude

that

1. Daily professional flossing in children reduces cavities.  
2. Asking children to floss at home unsupervised is not going to reduce cavities.
3. Children must be shown   proper flossing technique.
4. Supervising your children while they floss or flossing for your child  until they're old enough to properly  do it themself would be recommended.

I am  not a reporter nor a journalist however after reading the six studies cited above I think one

could conclude that the Associated Press did not dig very deep when writing their article that

disparaged flossing and clearly could not have read the six source studies used by Hujoel et al in

their research paper.

These four recommendations I listed above  can be expected to reduce the number of cavities

children get, whereas not flossing daily  or at all will assuredly increase the risk of developing

cavities.

In this article discussed we only  discussed flossing in children.  The  AP did not cite any research

that answered the question whether daily  flossing prevents cavities in adults. However,  It is

obvious to anyone who practises dentistry that daily flossing in adults is an important part of a

cavity reduction program and compliments  daily brushing, as our toothbrush cannot effectively

remove plaque and food between our teeth.

In my next article(s)  on this topic I will address more misinformation contained in  the AP article

and further the case for daily flossing.

Dr. Jeff Shnall  Aug 2016    email:  Dr.Shnall@gmail.com

​BeechDental.com     350 Beech Ave Lower Suite, Toronto, Ontario M4E 3T8   tel 416-691-2886

Articles Used in the  Research Paper by Hujoel et al:


The abstracts to these studies are available online.

Studies  1 and 2:  Wright,GZ, Banting DW, Feasby WH (1979).  The Dorchester dental flossing final report.  Clin Prev Dent 1:  23-26

Study 3:   Gisselsson H, Birkhed D, Bjorn AL (1988)  Effect of professional flossing  with

chlorhexidine gel on approximal caries in 12 to 15-year-old schoolchildren.   Caries res 22:  187-192

Study 4:  Gisselsson H, Birkhed D, Bjorn AL  (1994)  Effect of a 3 year professional flossing program with chlorhexidine gel on approximal caries and cost of treatment in preschool children.  Caries res 28:  394-399

Study 5:  Granath LE, Martinsson T,Matsson L et al (1979)  Intraindividual effect of daily supervised flossing on caries in school children.  Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 7:147-150
Study 6:   Gisselsson H, Bjorn AL, Birkhed D (1983) Immediate and prolonged effect of individual preventive measures in caries and gingivitis susceptible children.  Swed Dent J 7:  13-21

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