According to a major investigation by the Associated Press, there’s little scientific proof that it actually does anything.
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The latest Federal Dietary Guidelines no longer include flossing as a recommendation.
Dr Sigmund Leung Sai-man, president of the Hong Kong Dental Association, said the issue was about flossing not being practised properly. The researchers concluded that flossing is “weak, very unreliable”, of “very low” quality, and carries “a moderate to large potential for bias”.
Dr Kemmoona said an excellent oral hygiene routine eliminates just 90pc of harmful bacteria and urged people to have their teeth cleaned at least once a year. “They are typically avid flossers”.
Although he agrees there is lack of evidence, he hopes this new information will prompt new studies.
“This is a prime example of what happens when you don’t have adequately powered…studies with enough patients”, said Dr. Christopher W. Cutler, Chairman of Periodontics at the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University.
Procter & Gamble, which claims that its floss fights plaque and gingivitis, pointed to a two-week study, which was discounted as irrelevant in the 2011 research review. Although the ADA claims it makes no profit from the seal approval process, the companies are the ones who design the tests, not the ADA.
We have all heard from our dentist that we need to floss daily.
‘The difficulty is trying to get good evidence, ‘ Professor Damian Walmsley, scientific adviser to the British Dental Association, said.
He says both studies done at UB also found that flossing improved the health of gums by about 10 to 15 percent.
So this year in the federal government’s dietary guidelines, there is nothing about flossing. They will also continue to give free dental floss to patients on every visit.
Most of us dread having to go to the dentist in fear of being asked, ‘How often have you been flossing?’
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The BDA said: “Small inter-dental brushes are best for cleaning the area in between the teeth, where there is space to do so”. “We know that people who floss retain their teeth, so why research it?”
