Effect of Flossing on Proximal Hygiene Using Two Types of Dental Floss Luki Astuti, Olivia Nauli Komala, Muthiara Handini
Department of Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Trisakti
General Practitioner
Abstract
Background: Maintaining proper oral hygiene practices, such regular tooth brushing and interdental cleaning, significantly reduces the risk of periodontitis. Dental flossing that has some types may or may not have substantial impact on oral hygiene. Objective: to determine the impact of flossing on proximal dental hygiene with thread and holder type of dental floss. Methods: After meeting the criteria, 50 dentistry students were divided into two groups. Group 1 used thread type of dental floss and Group 2 used holder type of dental floss. Interdental Hygiene (HYG) Index was used to evaluate plaque accumulation in the interdental area before and after flossing. This index calculated the area without plaque in the space between teeth, using percentage calculations (%), which were performed on either the front side (facial/buccal/labial) or the back side (oral/lingual/palatal). Results: There was significant difference before and after flossing (p = 0.00) in two groups. Interdental hygiene with thread type of dental floss provided an increase of 24,1% while using holder type provided an increase of 21,4%. The interdental hygiene index between two groups was not significantly different (p = 0.464). Conclusion: Flossing had an effect on oral hygiene. Interdental cleaning with thread type of dental floss gave slightly better results than holder type.
