Flossing now considered "ineffective"

[BYU4you]

Has anyone seen the stories going around about the US department of health removing flossing from their standards on the basis of "lack of reliable evidence".

Can anyone clarify?

Reference news site, or just google flossing there are a ton but I can't find any real links or references on site.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-big-problem-with-flossing/

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[Advance]

Has anyone seen the stories going around about the US department of health removing flossing from their standards on the basis of "lack of reliable evidence".

Can anyone clarify?

Reference news site, or just google flossing there are a ton but I can't find any real links or references on site.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-big-problem-with-flossing/

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

I saw this on my news feed on FB and was curious about it as well.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

Lol darn I was just about to post this. You beat me to it!
This is from AP
http://bigstory.ap.org/f7e66079d9ba4b4985d7af350619a9e3

 

[ncide]

Most patients do not know how to floss effectively. There was a study done a while ago that showed that it didn't produce much improvement in the oral health of patients, and so this is likely stems from that study.

 

[Hannah Banana]

They kept saying there was not enough extensive study/research. Well duh... do the effing study!

 

[nonociceptors]

When you floss and chunks of food and **** come out, I don't give a **** what the DoH says. There's no way flossing isn't a good idea. I bet people who don't floss anyway are the only ones this news will affect. They'll feel even more dignified in their poor oral hygiene habits and basically give their dentists a big kindergarten style "neener neener neeeeener!"

Then they'll need a referral to perio down the line and guess who'll be laughing

 

[schmoob]

Or they use the same little piece of dirty floss in their whole mouth.

 

[BeaverLover]

Oh my god I saw this too. First thing I thought about was how people are just going to read the title and tell others how ineffective flossing is...smh

 

[deleted731525]

Or they use the same little piece of dirty floss in their whole mouth.

While that does seem disgusting would that matter much? I thought the whole theory behind flossing was simply breaking up the biofilm mechanically so it cant build up. Wouldnt even a dirty piece of floss be able to do that? I think its because most people dont go under the gumline.

 

[TXftw]

Only way flossing is ineffective is if you're too incompetent to correctly use it

 

[Incis0r]

I can see both sides of this.

Flossing can be ineffective if you are not motivated to floss properly- for example, for those of us with really big hands, it can be trying to reach all the way back to the molars to floss thoroughly there. Eventually, you just give up.

I use these picks and find them to be quite effective. A few dentists I know openly discourage using them since they are "inefficient," but I figure some flossing with these picks beats no flossing with the traditional string.

 

[deleted731525]

I can see both sides of this.

Flossing can be ineffective if you are not motivated to floss properly- for example, for those of us with really big hands, it can be trying to reach all the way back to the molars to floss thoroughly there. Eventually, you just give up.

I use these picks and find them to be quite effective. A few dentists I know openly discourage using them since they are "inefficient," but I figure some flossing with these picks beats no flossing with the traditional string.

I literally cant get my hands far enough back to floss my second and third molars. Even those dentek pics dont work for me in that area. The only solution for me is a good floss holder with a long handle.

 

[Mascota]

I think dentists are the only group that gets upset with increased job security haha.

 

[deleted738762]

That's good since I don't floss.

 

[DrJeff]

I literally cant get my hands far enough back to floss my second and third molars. Even those dentek pics dont work for me in that area. The only solution for me is a good floss holder with a long handle.

Or just have your 3rd molars extracted and eliminate the challenge of trying to get that far back to get to those interproximal spaces between your 2nd and 3rd molars

 

[Soleus715]

Maybe we should just get every other teeth removed and wear dentures, that way we never have to floss!

 

[deleted731525]

Or just have your 3rd molars extracted and eliminate the challenge of trying to get that far back to get to those interproximal spaces between your 2nd and 3rd molars

Yea I've been putting it off but even still I would have to floss the back of the second molars.

 

[Expithian14]

When I floss, I feel cleaner. I dont care what anyone says, it does something.

 

[1070752]

I thought the whole theory behind flossing was simply breaking up the biofilm mechanically so it cant build up.

You thought wrong, tiny flossing mechanical "damage" isn't going to do anything meaningful to biofilm.

 

[BYU4you]

I thought flossing was meant to kill anaerobes in the gums


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[ncide]

I thought flossing was meant to kill anaerobes in the gums


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Anaerobes come into play with 4-5mm pockets which comes from irreversable detachment of gingival ligaments. This happens when our immune system become triggered by bacteria localized along the gingival tissues. It takes time to get to that point, so flossing is meant to avoid anaerobes proliferating indirectly by keeping the gingival sulcus at 1-3mm.

 

[dyesht]

Anaerobes come into play with 4-5mm pockets which comes from irreversable detachment of gingival ligaments. This happens when our immune system become triggered by bacteria localized along the gingival tissues. It takes time to get to that point, so flossing is meant to avoid anaerobes proliferating indirectly by keeping the gingival sulcus at 1-3mm.

The sole reason of flossing is to remove bacterial plaque, which causes all of the things you mentioned. Dislodging food is one thing, but the main purpose is to get rid of that plaque interproximally.

 

[ncide]

Yeah, you keep the area clean so the sulcus depths stay at healthy levels to avoid anaerobic proliferation and subsequent bone loss.

 

[Douglas_DMD]

A common misconception of mouthwash is that it replaces flossing. It is thought that simply because the substance is a thin liquid, it can slip between teeth and remove the same bacteria that floss can. While it is partially true that mouthwash can get in between teeth to kill bacteria throughout the mouth, it is incorrect that mouthwash can get all of the same things that flossing can.

 

[Andeve33]

Has anyone seen the stories going around about the US department of health removing flossing from their standards on the basis of "lack of reliable evidence".

Can anyone clarify?

Reference news site, or just google flossing there are a ton but I can't find any real links or references on site.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-big-problem-with-flossing/

Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

Never heard about it.. seem so strange!

 

[mestielest]

There is no double blind prospective controlled trial on the effectiveness of masturbation.

But people still do that

 

[Andeve33]

There is no double blind prospective controlled trial on the effectiveness of masturbation.

But people still do that

so right

 

[wells.harrisson]

There can be two sides to this. Tiny food particles get logged in the place where the teeth and gums meet. Over time this can cause plaque in this area to harden and to form tartar; and once this happens, it can lead up to gingivitis. Then dentists are your only saviors. To avoid this and other such gum related problems, flossing is vital. It gets into spaces between your teeth and gums and cleans the plaque. But it’s ineffective when done incorrectly. You can get more information here: http://www.revitalizingsmiles.com/general-dentistry

 

[Andeve33]

A common misconception of mouthwash is that it replaces flossing. It is thought that simply because the substance is a thin liquid, it can slip between teeth and remove the same bacteria that floss can. While it is partially true that mouthwash can get in between teeth to kill bacteria throughout the mouth, it is incorrect that mouthwash can get all of the same things that flossing can.

missed it the last time. so right. I've also heard about this and I totally agree with you either. mouthwash is good, but flossing is better.

 

[gwarm01]

Hey, if nothing else it makes my gums stronger. Go a few months without flossing and watch that blood flow.

 

[Michael_Scott]

When you floss and chunks of food and **** come out, I don't give a **** what the DoH says. There's no way flossing isn't a good idea. I bet people who don't floss anyway are the only ones this news will affect. They'll feel even more dignified in their poor oral hygiene habits and basically give their dentists a big kindergarten style "neener neener neeeeener!"

Then they'll need a referral to perio down the line and guess who'll be laughing

That's being a very close minded health professional. We should always consider both sides of an issue... Not saying everyone should stop flossing but saying lets first understand what the study is pointing to before we start ignoring it..

 

[nonociceptors]

That's being a very close minded health professional. We should always consider both sides of an issue... Not saying everyone should stop flossing but saying lets first understand what the study is pointing to before we start ignoring it..

yeah sure, that's fine, i'm just saying if flossing gets chunks of food out of any space between your teeth that brushing can't, you bet i'm gonna keep flossing even if it has no other benefits at all. don't know about you but I don't want to sleep with that **** just sitting there if I can help it...lol

 

[Andeve33]

That's being a very close minded health professional. We should always consider both sides of an issue... Not saying everyone should stop flossing but saying lets first understand what the study is pointing to before we start ignoring it..

totally agreed, and that's a life "quest". we should always look at a problem from the both sides, because there are always 2 sides....

 

[gatorfan99]

Lack of sufficient evidence does NOT mean that the null (not flossing) is better... That is called "null bias"

 

[Cello]

The issue isn't that flossing is ineffective, it is simply that there has been insufficient research on the matter conclude whether it is effective or not. Of course any practicing dentist or hygienist knows first-hand that it is in fact effective. Many common-sense things have never been studied, that doesn't mean they aren't true or effective. Hopefully someone will just do the research and the USDH can go back to recommending flossing as a standard of preventive care.

 

[Blake1e]

The issue isn't that flossing is ineffective, it is simply that there has been insufficient research on the matter conclude whether it is effective or not. Of course any practicing dentist or hygienist knows first-hand that it is in fact effective. Many common-sense things have never been studied, that doesn't mean they aren't true or effective. Hopefully someone will just do the research and the USDH can go back to recommending flossing as a standard of preventive care.

Yep, another case of people needing a study to validate everything they thought they believed in.

Dont know, maybe this is news to some, but a large chunk (probably most) of the studies out there are pure undiluted bunk pumped out purely for funding. Many are officially retracted yet theyre still floating around and making waves. Studies are also often done to advance a political agenda or sell a product or service. Nobody reads them but most see all those words and pretty charts and assume whoever wrote it is smart and knows what theyre talking about.

But yeah, its silly taking studies as gospel and its a good skill to learn to detect BS when you read it so you can find the hidden gems.

/rant
-some guy who reads pubmed and other journals for fun