Researchers could locate no studies on the effectiveness of flossing combined with teeth brushing for cavity prevention.
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We have all heard from our dentist that we need to floss daily.
Twenty-five studies in leading journals discovered that evidence for flossing is “weak, very unreliable”, of “very low” quality, and carries “a moderate to large potential for bias”. He still encourages his patients to floss, but in the correct matter up and down the sides of teeth and not in a sawing motion.
New data suggests there’s no solid evidence for backing up the claim that flossing is good for you.
Professor Damien Walmsley said many benefits attributed to flossing were unproven and that “more sophisticated trials” were needed.
A National Institutes of Health dentist says Americans should still floss because there’s a possibility it works and it’s low risk and low cost. In a letter to the AP, the government acknowledged the effectiveness of flossing had never been researched, as required for inclusion in the guidelines.
Dublin dentist Dr Maher Kemmoona, who specialises in gum disease, said it was more important how people cleaned between the teeth than what they used.
The latest dietary guidelines for Americans, issued by the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, quietly dropped any mention of flossing without notice.
“The condition we’re trying to prevent, which is gum disease, is something that takes years to develop, and most of the studies only last for a few weeks or months”, he says.
Though he said about a third of his patients ignore the advice, he called it “irresponsible” to remove the flossing guideline.
He acknowledges that there is little scientific data back up the benefits of flossing, but in his experience he has seen the results.
As for Jenkins, she encourages everyone to floss to prevent problems later on down the road. If government data is unsubstantiated, and the American Dental Association is not looking out for our best interest, we must be responsible.
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